Pulmonary rheumatoid nodules demonstrating features usually associated with rheumatoid synovial membrane
+Author Affiliations
Medicine, Medical and Surgical Sciences, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 913 1Pathology Department, Dunedin Hospital 2Physiology Department Otago School of Medical Sciences, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin 3Green Lane Respiratory Services, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
- Correspondence to: Prof. John Highton. E-mail: john.highton@stonebow.otago.ac.nz
- Received June 20, 2006.
- Revision received November 7, 2006
Okay, so now the important bit:
Conclusions. The presence of B lymphocytes and the development of ectopic lymphoid follicles in rheumatoid nodules have not been described previously. It is similar to synovial membrane, and contrasts with the expected structure of subcutaneous nodules where B cells and lymphoid follicles are normally absent. These observations establish that the morphology of rheumatoid nodules can vary in different tissues. They further suggest that the inflammatory process in the nodule and synovial membrane are likely to be similar, …
So ummmm those “cosmetic nodules show the same kind of thing that’s happening in my joints.