RA vs. Lyme I am writing to comment on your interesting and useful article that appeared on the front page of the August issue of The Rheumatologist, “RA vs. Lyme,” by Charles Radis, DO. Arriving at a definite diagnosis of active RA early on is often not an easy task. The author of this article…
Gout affects nearly 4% of American adults, causing joint inflammation, pain and crystal deposits that may lead to bone erosion over time. At least five different classification criteria for gout are used worldwide, creating potential discrepancies in clinical trial enrollment and eventual results. An international panel of investigators collaborated to create new, standardized gout classification…
CPT: 99213, 73500-RT, 73500-LT ICD-10: M16.52 This E/M service entailed: The history is detailed; The examination is expanded problem focused; and The medical decision making is of low complexity. The X-ray reviewed was for radiologic examination, hip, unilateral: one view for the left hip and for the right hip. M16.52—The diagnosis identifies unilateral post-traumatic osteoarthritis…
Post-Traumatic OA A 70-year-old female patient comes in for a follow-up visit for pain and stiffness in her left hip. She injured her hip in a skiing accident three years before and reports the X-rays at that time showed no fractures. Due to no obvious fracture at the time, she was given ibuprofen and advised…
Despite a generation of advances in molecular biology, a huge gap exists between the Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) patient’s description of their symptoms and the objective findings. Current issues include: Many SS patients are misclassified as either rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), even within rheumatology clinics. Frequently, the sickest SS patients with extraglandular…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with untreated early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) show signs of immune activation and local inflammation in their bronchial tissues, researchers from Sweden report. Previous studies have shown that patients with RA have shared citrullinated epitopes in the lungs and joints, as well as anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), suggesting…
A recent study connects the use of immunosuppressant and biologic agents to an increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer in patients being treated for RA and IBD…
Background Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematous, occur when the body attacks its own tissue because it cannot differentiate between self and non-self. This is mainly through deregulation of the immune system. Vitamin D has been known to play a critical role in bone mineralization and bone health. Activated vitamin…
Case report: A 60-year-old Hispanic male with poorly controlled hypertension was sent from the primary care clinic for evaluation of malignant hypertension with a systolic blood pressure above 200 mmHg. His symptoms at the time of presentation included episodic confusion, worsening vision and an unsteady gait. A head computed tomography (CT) scan showed a subacute…
Recent updates to criteria used for diagnosing neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are aimed at helping physicians make the differential diagnosis of this disorder differentiating it from other inflammatory disorders—a diagnosis that can be difficult given the presenting symptoms that can mimic a number of other conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. Published in July 2015, the new…