Photo Credit: Tonpor Kasa
The following is a summary of “Warrick score in rheumatoid-arthritis interstitial lung disease: a promising tool for assessing the extent and progression of lung involvement,” published in the January 2025 issue of Advances in Rheumatology by Karadag et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study on rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD), analyzing radiographic progression using the Warrick score. Advanced age and UIP pattern were key risk factors for progression.
They performed consecutive Warrick scoring on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) at diagnosis and first follow-up. They analyzed associations with pulmonary function tests and patient characteristics. The ROC curve evaluated the Warrick score change rate for ILD progression, and multivariable logistic regression identified risk factors.
The results showed significant correlations between Warrick scores and age at RA-ILD diagnosis, age at ILD diagnosis, and baseline DAS28-ESR. Severity score correlations were r = 0.359, r = 0.372, and r = 0.298 (P = 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.014); extent score correlations were r = 0.364, r = 0.318, and r = 0.255 (P = 0.001, P = 0.005, P = 0.038); and total score correlations were r = 0.376, r = 0.367, and r = 0.280 (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.022). Annual changes in severity, extent, and total scores showed 91–97% sensitivities and 98% specificities for predicting progression over 5 years. Cut-off values were 0.0278 for severity (AUC 0.954), 0.0227 for extent (AUC 0.976), and 0.0694 for total (AUC 0.946). Warrick scores increased significantly during follow-up. Age > 50 years (OR 7.7, P = 0.028) and baseline UIP pattern (OR 3.1, P = 0.041) were risk factors for progression.
Investigators found advanced age and UIP patterns as risk factors for progression. Warrick scoring helped predict RA-ILD progression through changes in severity, extent, and total scores.
Source: advancesinrheumatology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42358-025-00435-w
