Although gout is one of the most effectively treated of all rheumatic diseases, it is among the worst-managed diseases long term, as shown by many studies. “Treatments are excellent, yet are dramatically under-utilized,” says Theodore Fields, MD, FACP, rheumatologist, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York. “This is because some gout patients feel better between…
GCA Relapse Possible When Discontinuing Tocilizumab In a Phase 2 randomized, controlled trial, tocilizumab, an anti-IL-6 biologic agent, was shown to induce and maintain remission for up to 52 weeks in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA).1 During this trial, patients with GCA were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive 8 mg/kg bodyweight tocilizumab…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The importance of biomedical research to advancing clinical care with the ultimate goal of improving patients’ lives was on display during an ACR Discovery 2016 plenary session at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The session offered new ways to think about and treat select rheumatologic diseases, including research showing for the first time the…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—For patients with osteoarthritis and other age-related musculoskeletal diseases, treatment with mesenchymal stem cells may soon offer a potent way to slow and repair degenerative signs of disease. This is the goal, a goal that is moving from the laboratory to the clinic as results from ongoing randomized clinical trials show the safety and…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Although political polarization in the U.S. has affected many people’s interest in participating in legislative and advocacy efforts that promote their concerns, William Harvey, MD, MSc, the ACR’s (immediate past) chair of the Government Affairs Committee, encouraged rheumatologists and ACR/ARHP members to remain engaged and get involved with the ACR to fight for issues…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—From diagnosis questions to infection risk to treatment decisions, handling giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) comes with a range of challenges for clinicians. Speaking in the ACR Review Course at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, an expert—Rebecca Manno, MD, MHS, assistant professor of medicine in rheumatology at Johns Hopkins, as well…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A 70-year-old woman had been diagnosed with rotator cuff disease three years earlier and received an array of treatments. What she hadn’t received was an X-ray. She’d had an MRI, and her doctor—not an orthopedist or a rheumatologist, but a primary care physician—had zeroed in on degenerative changes in her rotator cuff. The problem,…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—A friendly, but stern, voice talks to Joseph Kvedar, MD, vice president of Connected Health at Partners HealthCare, from his smartphone. Dr. Kvedar has just woken up. “Good morning, Joe! Here’s the tale of the tape. Your blood pressure and cholesterol are fine. Your sleep deficit is now up to three hours for the week….
2016 was an impactful year for ACR advocacy efforts. Last month we reviewed our advocacy accomplishments in 2016, accomplishments that benefited 100% of our members. However, more than 95% of ACR and ARHP members had not invested in RheumPAC by the conclusion of the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. Each year, many of the same dedicated…
Charity Navigator, America’s largest and most-used independent evaluator of charities, has awarded the Rheumatology Research Foundation with its eighth consecutive four-star rating. The prestigious ranking is the highest possible award given out by Charity Navigator and recognizes good governance, sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency. Charity Navigator President and CEO Michael Thatcher…