Conditions

Subcategories:Axial Spondyloarthritis Clinical Criteria/Guidelines Gout and Crystalline Arthritis Myositis Osteoarthritis and Bone Disorders Other Rheumatic Conditions Pain Syndromes Pediatric Conditions Psoriatic Arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis Sjögren’s Disease Soft Tissue Pain Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Systemic Sclerosis Vasculitis

Autoimmune Diseases Common in Patients with Vitiligo

Will Boggs, MD | November 19, 2015

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with vitiligo commonly have other autoimmune diseases, according to a cross-sectional study. “Vitiligo is a systemic disease with multiple comorbidities,” Dr. Iltefat Hamzavi from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., told Reuters Health by email. “The number of patients with neurologic diseases and inflammatory disease was much higher than we anticipated.”…

Diagnostic Clues, Tips Useful for Differentiating RA and Lyme Disease

David H. Neustadt, MD, MACR, FACP | November 17, 2015

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…

New Gout Criteria from the ACR/EULAR Focus on Clinical Trials, Global Standards

Susan Bernstein | November 17, 2015

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…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Answer: Proper Coding for Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

From the College | November 17, 2015

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…

Rheumatology Coding Corner Question: Coding for Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

From the College | November 17, 2015

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…

Sjögrens Syndrome: The Need to Bridge Patient Symptoms & Objective Findings

Robert I. Fox, MD, PhD, & Carla M. Fox, RN | November 17, 2015

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…

Bronchial Tissue Immune Activation Seen in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

Reuters Staff | November 17, 2015

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…

Does Methotrexate Increase Skin Cancer Risk?

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | November 16, 2015

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…

Improve RA Care with Vitamin D

Dewan K. Fahima, DO, & Rafah Salloum, MD | November 16, 2015

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…

Rheumatology Case Report: When Moyamoya Disease Mimicks Primary Central Nervous System Vasculitis

Joey Kim, MD, Megha Patel-Banker, MD, Matthew Abramson, MD, Mehwish Bilal, MD, Sanjay Godhwani, MD, Asha Patnaik, MD, Heidi Roppelt, MD, & Qingping Yao, MD | November 16, 2015

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…