Hydralazine has been in use as a treatment for hypertension, most notably in heart failure patients, since 1951.1 The drug is a known cause of autoimmune disease, most specifically hydralazine-induced lupus. Hydralazine-induced lupus occurs in 7–13% of those taking the medication.2-4 It often presents with constitutional symptoms, arthritis/arthralgias, cutaneous lesions, seroÂsitis, myalgias and/or hepatomegaly. Features…
AÂ team of healthcare practitioners and researchers, spearheaded by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the ACR, has developed updated evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. The 2020 guidelines cover a wide variety of Lyme disease manifestations, including Lyme arthritis. Linda…
Scleroderma renal crisis is a true medical emergency in rheumatology, one that requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Here, we review the historic introduction of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in this context, and highlight management and key questions moving forward. Background Awareness of renal disease in scleroderma dates back many years. The revered physician William Osler…
Our patient was a 33-year-old, 5’2″ Asian woman with a past medical history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The diagnosis was based on serologies positive for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs), as well as antibodies to Sm, RNP and SSA. Her illness included neuropsychiatric and cutaneous involvement. She also had a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. She presented…
In January, upadacitinib was approved for use in Europe as a 15 mg, once-daily dose to treat patients with psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
In this study, Fatima et al. analyzed how well the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index predicts future all-cause mortality in patients with early RA (i.e., with a symptom duration of less than one year). A total of 1,724 patients with early RA were included. The researchers found that a higher HAQ score and Disease Activity Score at one year were significantly associated with all-cause mortality.
Experts discuss how rheumatologists must consider the psychosocial aspect of care in the decision-making process for women when addressing their reproductive health needs, in addition to medication safety.
Two experts discussed ongoing difficulties in diagnosing autoinflammatory disease, & promising new studies that point to possible genetic roots of autoinflammatory disease.
Three experts discuss the ins and outs of using magnetic resonance imaging to diagnose axial spondyloarthritis, particularly in individuals who lack clear clinical symptoms indicative of disease.
NIH investigators describe key features and genetic causes of Mendelian interferonopathies, & treatment approaches that may indicate the efficacy of IFN inhibition.