Checking blood levels of commonly used disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has gained widespread attention in the rheumatology community, even resulting in a recent guidance document from EULAR for biologics.1 Although a highly useful tool, drug level measurement in rheumatology is not without challenges; many of our drugs violate the basic principles of pharmacology that we…
For the 2023 Image Competition, the ACR sought images representing a diverse range of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) or IIM mimics. Unilateral Heliotrope Rash in Anti-MDA-5 Antibody Dermatomyositis These images depict a 36-year-old patient with arthralgias, dyspnea and a unilateral heliotrope rash (image A). A unilateral heliotrope rash is a distinctive, but rare,…
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often face many concerns, fears and uncertainties that render “treatment decision making very difficult,” says Jasvinder Singh, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Often these patients, who tend to be women from minority groups, “do not have access to easily understandable…
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, confusion and concern for immunosuppressed patients grew among rheumatologists and patients alike. Research has helped bridge the knowledge gap, and treatment options for COVID-19 have helped ease concerns.
Promising Results from a Phase 3 Study SAN DIEGO—An investigational liposomal formulation of dexamethasone sodium phosphate (TLC599) for intra-articular injection is being studied to treat patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). George Spencer-Green, MD, MS, chief medical officer of Taiwan Liposome Company (TLC), Cambridge, Mass., presented recent data on this agent in a late-breaking abstract session…
Experts described the latest breakthroughs related to lupus and the brain, including the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to gain insights into brain fog. Research into the role of microglia in neuropsychiatric lupus is also described.
In January, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved indomethacin in an oral suspension, a generic version of Indocin Oral Suspension. The agency also issued a boxed warning and updated label for denosumab, warning of the risks of severe hypocalcemia in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Through a project to reduce gaps and inequities in lupus care and treatment, ACR work groups have developed five quality measures focused on clinical and patient-reported outcomes and are integrating them into the RISE registry to support patient care and research.
In this ACR Convergence 2023 session, experts offered guidance on a selection of diagnostic & treatment challenges rheumatologists may encounter.
For the 2023 Image Competition, the ACR sought images representing a diverse range of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) or IIM mimics. Chronic Facial Ulcers in Anti-Melanoma-Differentiation-Associated Gene 5 (MDA-5) Antibody Amyopathic Dermatomyositis These images depict a 27-year-old patient who developed erythematous violaceous lesions over his upper chest, face and scalp over six months….