Objective. To carry out a comprehensive assessment of pulmonary involvements in patients with spondylarthritеs and rheumatoid arthritis.

Materials and methods. The research involved 172 patients with spondylarthritеs and rheumatoid arthritis. The past medical history and the objective data of the patients were studied. The multispiral computer tomography of thoracic organs was performed. The lung ventilation parameters and diffusion lung capacity were tested. In order to process the data Statistica 10 software package was used.

Results. Pulmonary involvements were found in 77.5% of patients with spondylarthritеs and 90.0% patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The study showed that pulmonary involvements in men with rheumatoid arthritis have a diffuse nature and involve the bronchial tree and pulmonary parenchyma more frequently than in men with spondylarthritеs. Women with spondylarthritеs and rheumatoid arthritis turned out to be comparable among them both in volume and in most varieties of pulmonary involvements.

The lung ventilation parameters in patients with spondylarthritеs and rheumatoid arthritis were significantly lower with larger dimension of pulmonary involvements along with a decrease in diffusion lung capacity when the lung parenchyma was involved. Diffusion lung capacity was significant decrease in women with spondylarthritеs and rheumatoid arthritis when concomitant thyroid disorders were present.

Conclusion. Pulmonary involvements are present more frequently in men with rheumatoid arthritis than in men with spondylarthritеs. Dimension of pulmonary involvements in patients with spondylarthritеs and rheumatoid arthritis to
a larger extent affects lung ventilation parameters whereas lung parenchyma involvement and concomitant pathology of thyroid more considerably reduce pulmonary gas exchange parameter.