Editor’s Pick: Palliative Care for Inclusion Body Myositis, a Case Report

Alternatively, as in a model utilized in our institution for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, palliative care evaluations can be incorporated from the initial contact at the specialty center to normalize conversations and identify needs at each stage of the disease.²⁴

In a very real sense, one could consider all available treatments for patients with IBM as palliative in nature. Yet complex symptom management, discussions around complex decisions and advance care planning, and partner support remain areas of care that need further addressing.

In Sum

The future of clinical care and research in IBM should evaluate and expand on palliative skills for IBM healthcare providers and the integration of specialty palliative care for these vulnerable patients. Given their expertise in IBM, multi-system disease and focus on whole-person care, rheumatologists are uniquely suited to lead this effort. Further, implementation of palliative care modalities for this patient population can serve as a stepping stone to integrating these practices for other complex, incurable rheumatic diseases.

Kamini E. Kuchinad, MD, MPH, completed her rheumatology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and will be an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases, Oregon Health & Science University, and the VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, Ore.

Ambereen Mehta, MD, MPH, is an associate professor of palliative care in the departments of medicine and neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and works in the palliative care program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore.

David Wu, MD, is the director of the palliative care program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, and an associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Jemima Albayda, MD, is an associate professor of medicine, director of the rheumatology fellowship program and director of the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound and Injection Clinic in the Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore. She is a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center.

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