Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is nearly universally recommended for pregnant patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to reduce lupus disease activity and adverse outcomes in pregnancy.1-3 Yet despite strong evidence supporting its benefits, HCQ appears underutilized, with several studies suggesting fewer than half of all women with lupus take this medication during pregnancy.4 How accurately these results…
Racial Disparities in Lupus Clinical Trial Participation By Saira Z. Sheikh, MD Why was this study done? Lupus disproportionately affects Black and Latino populations, particularly women in childbearing years. Clinical trials of patients with lupus can advance the development of therapeutics and access to better treatments, as well as improve health outcomes for patients. However,…
Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, likes to fix things, and the dynamic and challenging field of rheumatology always has room for improvement. That mindset has led her down some interesting paths as a researcher and healthcare provider, and as vice president of the Rheumatology Research Foundation. Dr. Fraenkel was a rheumatologist and researcher at the Yale…
In a study, El Bannoudi et al. found that platelets contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE by secreting the proinflammatory platelet-associated lectin, galactoside-binding, soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP), which also represents a novel biomarker of SLE clinical activity.
Background & Objectives Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease associated with immune responses to the patient’s own antigens and characterized by inflammation and substantial joint destruction. Prevotella copri, a gut commensal bacterium, has been reported to be an immune-relevant organism in individuals with RA. This study sought to evaluate antibody responses to anti-P….
A minority of patients experience lingering symptoms after infection with SARS-CoV-2, similar to some other previously known post-infection syndromes. Although we are just beginning to understand the different presentations, pathophysiology, risk factors, prognosis and treatment of long COVID, rheumatologists can play a leadership role in managing patients with the illness and contributing to this important research…
This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on the use of vaccinations in children and adults with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. It includes expanded indications for some vaccines, as well as guidance on whether to hold immunosuppressive medications or delay vaccination to maximize vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy.
Now in the second year of his 2021–2023 term as the Rheumatology Research Foundation president, V. Michael Holers, MD, a professor of medicine and immunology and the Smyth Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Colorado, Denver, is looking forward to fortifying and expanding the Foundation’s missions in the framework of its new strategic plan.
PHILADELPHIA—Expert panelists gathered in the closing session at ACR Convergence 2022 to give their take on what they saw as some of the most notable research findings and other insights to come out of the meeting, touching on a number of topics on the leading edge of the field. COVID-19 Prophylaxis & Vaccinations Alfred Kim,…
Treat to Target in Gout Monitoring & achievement of target serum urate levels By Jing Li & Gabriela Schmajuk, MD, MS Why was this study done? The ACR’s 2020 guideline for the management of gout recommends using a treat-to-target (T2T) approach to lower serum urate (SU). Using the ACR’s RISE registry, we examined the use…