A 59-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presented to our pulmonary clinic for progressively worsening dyspnea of five years’ duration. She described progressively worsening dyspnea after a few minutes of walking on level ground. In addition, she noted worsening pain and morning stiffness of the wrists, knees and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, with subcutaneous nodules. She…
A 14-year-old girl is referred to your office for fatigue and arthralgias. While you’re obtaining her past medical history, she divulges that she has had four episodes of bilateral parotitis, each lasting two weeks. An otolaryngologist evaluated her. She lacked sicca symptoms, had a normal complete blood count (CBC), normal inflammatory markers and a negative…
A 42-year-old man with a history of ulcerative colitis (UC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and chronic sinusitis was referred to a rheumatologist to evaluate for a possible diagnosis of systemic vasculitis. This patient had developed new skin lesions, gingival hypertrophy and ulcerating tracheobronchitis, concerning for possible granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Since 1994, the patient had…
A study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology highlights how the presence of autoantibodies to peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) may eventually be used to influence treatment decisions in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), sharpening our understanding of disease subtypes.1 Although follow-up prospective studies are needed, these findings underline some intriguing areas for future investigations in immunobiology….
In the middle of a busy clinic I go to see my next patient, a 16-year-old girl with a swollen knee. I had seen her the week before and, after discussing the options regarding treatment of her arthritis, had organized a joint injection for today. As I walk in the door she emphatically informs me,…
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) can cause fibroinflammatory lesions in nearly any organ, and diagnosis is challenging. ACR/EULAR classification criteria for IgG4-RD have been developed and validated in a large cohort of patients. These criteria have performed well in tests and should contribute substantially to future clinical, epidemiologic and basic science investigations.
The ACR and RheumPAC are working to secure an annual allocation of $20 million dedicated to research on arthritis prevention and treatment in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program budget.
Volunteering is a great way to give back and can be truly meaningful. Myriad worthwhile causes exist, so it can be hard to choose among them, but donating time to ACR and ARP committees helps promote rheumatology practice and brings awareness to rheumatic diseases. The College relies on volunteers to help achieve strategic priorities, promote…
On behalf of the ACR, I wish you happiness, prosperity and, above all, good health in this new decade. Now that the holidays are behind us and 2020 has launched, the ACR’s dedicated volunteers and staff are working collaboratively to achieve many ambitious initiatives to ensure the College’s dynamic and bright future. A few weeks…
I nodded, gravely. I was recently privileged to attend a symposium on eosinophils. I realize that this sounds odd. And it was odd, mainly because I’m not an eosinophil expert. Still, they were in need of someone who knew something about eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, so I managed to sneak in through the back door….