ACR Convergence 2025| Video: Rheuminations on Milestones & Ageism

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Figure 2: High-resolution computed tomography showed evidence of interstitial lung disease.

High-resolution computed tomography shows evidence of ILD.

The ACR/CHEST ILD Guidelines in Practice, a video
In collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians, the ACR released two new comprehensive guidelines aimed at improving the screening, monitoring, and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs). Recently, Sindhu R. Johnson, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, director of the Toronto Scleroderma Program and principal investigator for the guideline, and Elana J. Bernstein, MD, MSc, Florence Irving associate professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University, New York City, and co-first author, presented a webinar to talk about how the guidelines were developed and present some of the recommendations and their rationale: Watch the recording now!

 

Legal Updates: Compliance Planning for Your Practice

Emily A. Johnson, JD  |  

Physicians have a lot going on. Between the pressures of clinical and administrative responsibilities, sometimes the only way to keep everything together is with a to-do list. Unfortunately, it can often feel as though some items never come off that list. Often, the bigger a project sounds, the more likely it is to sit on…

Flares Rare After COVID Vaccination

Catherine Kolonko  |  

The development of a vaccine for COVID-19 changed the course of the pandemic; however, it also raised questions about whether to withhold or reduce immunosuppressive therapies and other medications for patients with inflammatory, rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (IRMD), note the authors of a new study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. An argument for…

Will Telehealth Make It to April? 

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Medicare’s current telehealth flexibilities are set to expire March 31. To avoid a government shutdown, Congress must pass a  appropriations package by midnight on March 14. The ACR is preparing for the impacts if a telehealth extension does not pass.

Potential Biologic Drug Treatment for IgG4-RD Identified

Deborah Levenson  |  

Inebilizumab reduces the risk of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) flares and increases the likelihood of flare-free, complete remission at one year, a recent study shows.1 The randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled MITIGATE trial showed that inebilizumab reduced the risk of IgG4-RD symptoms by 87%, compared with placebo. About IgG4-RD IgG4-RD is chronic, rare condition that has, so…

Experts Discuss Guidelines for Interstitial Lung Disease in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease

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Over 50% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) develop interstitial lung disease (ILD), and rheumatologists have long recognized this major cause of morbidity and mortality.1 Sindhu R. Johnson, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, and director of the Toronto Scleroderma Program, notes that more recent studies have increased our awareness…

Precision Medicine Study Examines Blood-Based Immunophenotyping in Patients with RA

Katie Robinson  |  

For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), analyzing immune cell diversity in peripheral blood revealed five major immunotype groups, each exhibiting a different response to various biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This is according to a 2024 study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Disease that aimed to stratify the patients based on…