Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Dermatology & Immunology: Skin Issues Can Present Challenges

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SAN FRANCISCO—A 40-year-old woman shows up in the clinic with scarring alopecia, with an area of hyperpigmentation on the rim of her scalp, extending from just behind the temple to behind her ears. An examination with a dermatoscope shows hyperkeratotic follicular plugging. The case—in this example, the discoid form of cutaneous lupus erythematosus (DLE)—is one…

Diagnostic Imaging in Lupus Patient with Foot Pain: Findings

Cianna Leatherwood, MD, & Derrick J. Todd, MD, PhD  |  

View the question. Findings/Diagnosis An anteroposterior (AP) radiograph of the right foot shows hallux valgus of the first metatarsal phalangeal (MTP) joint, erosive changes at the first and fifth metatarsal bones and degenerative changes at the fourth and fifth metatarsal-cuboid joints. An AP radiograph of the left foot shows extensive erosive and degenerative changes at…

Diagnostic Imaging in Lupus Patient with Foot Pain: History

Cianna Leatherwood, MD, & Derrick J. Todd, MD, PhD  |  

Editor’s note: In this recurring feature, we first present a series of images (this page) for your review, and then a brief discussion of the findings and diagnosis. Before you turn to the discussion, examine these images carefully and draw your own conclusions. History A 33-year-old woman with a 16-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus…

The Lupus Initiative Launches Cohorts & Partnerships to Reduce Health Disparities & Improve Outcomes

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The Lupus Initiative (TLI) of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) continues its work to reduce the health disparities for people with lupus through multiple, national-level, grant-funded projects, targeting primary care physicians with lupus education to increase appropriate rheumatology referrals and—when necessary, appropriate and effective—distance-managed care. Since 2009, the ACR has received funding through the…

Air Pollution: Is There an Association with Rheumatic Disease?

Gavin R. Sun, MD, Sasha Bernatsky, MD, Gilaad G. Kaplan, MD, & Cheryl Barnabe, MD  |  

Interactions between an individual’s genetic background and their exposure to environmental factors are thought to result in a cascade of immune reactions, ultimately leading to the development of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and juvenile dermatomyositis.1,2 For example, an environmental factor that conclusively affects susceptibility…

SLE—It’s in the Genes

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In a large-scale genome-wide association study, researchers mapped 10 new SLE-associated loci and found aberrantly regulated gene expression networks may be behind SLE development…