Approximately 50% of young adult patients with childhood-onset rheumatic diseases become lost to follow-up within the first year of transferring to adult rheumatology care, mirroring the statistics of other subspecialties.1,2 One of the challenges cited most consistently by young adult patients and their families relates to differences between rheumatology care delivery in the pediatric and…
Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis in adults, and it typically occurs in men over the age of 50. When gout presents in younger patients or in women, this should warrant consideration of secondary causes. We describe an unusual genetic cause of tophaceous gout in a young, premenopausal woman. Case Report In…
Three FDA representatives discuss new drug indications, safety precautions and label changes, & an emergency program to rapidly evaluate existing immunomodulating therapies for use in COVID-19 patients.
Uveitis is an umbrella term for intraocular inflammatory diseases that can lead to vision loss. It’s not just a concern for ophthalmologists. Uveitis occurs in approximately 2–5% of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, 6–9% of patients with psoriatic arthritis and 25% of patients with reactive arthritis. The prevalence may be as high as 33% in…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Current trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy are the increased use of newer medication categories, such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (Jakinibs) and biologics, and the rising costs of treatment. Unchanged is the consistent use of methotrexate as an effective therapy. These topics and more were discussed at the ACR Winter Symposium during…
(Reuters Health)—Sports physicians routinely prescribe corticosteroids to athletes for conditions, such as inflammation, asthma and allergies, but not all of them know which forms of these drugs are banned under anti-doping rules, a study suggests. The survey of 603 physicians from 30 countries found four in five prescribe oral corticosteroids to athletes, one of the…
ATLANTA—Managing teenage patients may present challenges for pediatric rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals not only because of their often complex, rare conditions, but because teenagers are, well, teenagers. Teens may experiment with sexual intercourse, alcohol use, tobacco or vaping e-cigarettes to fit in with their peers, even if these habits have serious health consequences, according to…
A 42-year-old man with a history of ulcerative colitis (UC), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and chronic sinusitis was referred to a rheumatologist to evaluate for a possible diagnosis of systemic vasculitis. This patient had developed new skin lesions, gingival hypertrophy and ulcerating tracheobronchitis, concerning for possible granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). Since 1994, the patient had…
Recent research into rituximab-induced serum sickness (RISS) reinforces the understanding that patients generally recover quickly. However, the study also found patients with autoimmune disease, especially SLE, had a significantly higher risk for developing RISS than patients using rituximab to treat hematological malignancy…
Over the past few years, biosimilars and other new drugs have been introduced to treat rheumatic illnesses. Some of the conditions we treat have numerous drug options, others have few or only off-label options. This series, “Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance,” provides streamlined information on the administration of biologic, biosimilar and small molecule inhibitor drugs…