Small fiber neuropathy is a common form of peripheral neuropathy with multiple potential etiologies and a varied clinical presentation. It can’t be detected by nerve conduction studies, making it an elusive and often overlooked entity. Small fiber neuropathy is well documented in several rheumatic diseases, and its symptom burden can profoundly affect quality of life….
For the 2023 Image Competition, the ACR sought images representing a diverse range of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) or IIM mimics. The images selected as Best Overall by the judges this year come from North America. Systemic Light Chain (AL) Amyloidosis Masquerading as Inflammatory Myositis These images depict an 81-year-old man who presented…
SAN DIEGO—In a scientific session at ACR Convergence 2023, Sindhu Johnson, MD, PhD, and Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc, discussed ACR’s new guideline on SARDs and ILD.
SAN DIEGO—Panelists at ACR Convergence 2023 debate the merits of IL-6 inhibitors vs. glucocorticoids for the initial treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
SAN DIEGO—Thomas Ortel, MD, PhD, chief, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C., discussed thrombotic microangiopathies at ACR Convergence 2023. With a variety of causes, including autoimmune diseases, the connection with rheumatology is evident.
SAN DIEGO—Marcela Ferrada, MD, who most recently was on faculty with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Md., discussed relapsing polychondritis (RP), a condition that she herself has.
SAN DIEGO—Many rheumatologists see patients referred for uveitis, and Laura Kopplin, MD, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, discussed inflammatory disease of the eye at ACR Convergence 2023.
The Case A 47-year-old woman presented with a one-year history of bilateral submandibular gland swelling, mild symptoms of xerostomia and xerophthalmia and arthralgias in her fingers. A review of systems was otherwise unremarkable. On physical examination, her submandibular glands on both sides were enlarged and had a firm texture. Her parotid glands were normal, as…
Hajdu-Cheney syndrome (HCS) is a rare connective tissue disease, with fewer than 100 cases reported worldwide.1 Hallmark features include acro-osteolysis (i.e., resorption of the distal phalanges of the hands and feet), osteoporosis, facial dysmorphisms, and craniofacial and dental abnormalities. Patients often have short stature and can have neuroanatomical deformities causing intellectual disabilities. These patients can…
Defined by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in individuals with clinical evidence of thrombosis or pregnancy morbidity, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune thrombophilia. Clinical thrombosis, which should be confirmed by objective validated criteria (e.g., imaging studies or histopathology), can occur in the arterial, venous or small vessel vasculature and is not limited…