ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Evidence shows that African Americans have a higher burden of osteoarthritis, with lower use of conventional medications, and are less adherent to the medications they take. They also get arthroplasty procedures less often, and when they do have the procedures, they report greater pain, worse function and lower satisfaction with them. In RA…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—The results of a post-authorization study comparing the cardiovascular safety of febuxostat vs. allopurinol were presented in a late-breaking abstract session at the ACR’s fully virtual annual meeting on Monday, Nov. 9. Cardiologist Thomas MacDonald, MD, FRCP, MBChB, clinical professor (teaching and research) of molecular and clinical medicine, University of Dundee School of…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—With an understanding of the key causes that are behind immune abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatologists gain insights into this disease. During the ACR Convergence session Immunology Update—The Decade in Review: 10 Steps to SLE, Chandra Mohan, MD, PhD, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Endowed Professor, University of Houston, provided…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Patients with concurrent rheumatological arthritis (RA) and liver disease or interstitial lung disease or treatment-refractory rheumatoid arthritis pose treatment challenges, according to the panelists of the ACR Convergence 2020’s How I Treat Difficult RA: Panel Session. Each panelist discussed a difficult case and raised questions on how to best treat it. Joan M….
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Although rheumatologists have struggled with a lack of new therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), recent positive trial results have brought renewed hope for more treatments. That was the theme of the ACR Convergence 2020 session, State of the Art: Lupus—The Future Is Now, led by Peggy Crow, MD, the Benjamin M. Cohen…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In 2020, terms like unconscious bias, diversity and inclusivity are buzzwords in rheumatology, as well as throughout American society. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed stark disparities in healthcare outcomes for rheumatic disease patients of racial and ethnic minorities, including new research that shows Black and Latinx patients have a higher risk of hospitalization and…
ACR Convergence 2020—At two plenary sessions, speakers highlighted key findings, including results on the QTc interval in patients on hydroxychloroquine, and data from a study on denosumab vs. alendronate for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. The QTc Interval & Hydroxychloroquine The safety profile and optimal dosing of hydroxychloroquine has been a topic for decades because it is known…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—At the ACR’s fully virtual annual meeting on Saturday, Nov. 7, ACR President Ellen M. Gravallese, MD, chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, presented the inaugural ACR Distinguished Global Public Health Award to Anthony S. Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been postulated to develop in several phases, with inherited susceptibility factors in some cases leading to asymptomatic (or preclinical) citrullinated protein-directed autoimmunity, followed, after some interval, by the development of synovial infiltration and polyarticular disease. We know early treatment of RA is critical to reduce disease symptoms and slow…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In patients with connective tissue diseases, such as systemic sclerosis (SSc), pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. In her lecture on Friday, Nov. 6, Pulmonary Hypertension: An Update, Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc, professor of medicine and medical director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at The George…