Co-morbidities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and related autoimmune diseases often warrant a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. When it comes to inflammatory and fibrotic lung conditions in these patients, collaboration between pulmonary/critical care specialists and rheumatologists is essential, say two rheumatologists recently interviewed by The Rheumatologist. Both followed their rheumatology fellowship training with additional fellowships…
Rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and vasculitis, can affect the body in many ways, but perhaps the most serious is the increased risk of heart disease for many patients. As the risk of atherosclerosis in autoimmune disease patients gains increased attention, rheumatologists and cardiologists are collaborating more often to…
Methotrexate has long been a cornerstone of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Two new, injectable methotrexate products may help some RA patients for whom oral methotrexate is not as effective or causes adverse effects. Rasuvo and Otrexup are prefilled, auto-injection devices that allow patients to give themselves subcutaneous injections of methotrexate without having to use a…
In a global Phase 3 trial, subcutaneous secukinumab proved safe and effective in patients with psoriatic arthritis. Also, a version of aspartyl-alanyl diketopiperazine, a biologic for knee OA, has entered Phase 3 trials…
Two of the great traditions of medicine are the curbside and party consults. In the former, participating physicians informally discuss an especially difficult diagnostic problem. During the latter, a patient will approach the doctor to ask about some possible medical problem and what they should do about it. The advent of the Internet has brought…
The differences between Caucasian and minority patients with lupus are striking: In almost all aspects of the disease, black, Hispanic and many Asian lupus patients do poorly compared with their white counterparts. Although racial disparities in outcomes in the practice of medicine are widespread, the scope and degree of the differences in lupus is, with…
“Worst of all is the pain in my calves,” she said. “It feels like burning deep inside.” So began my first encounter with a 69-year-old woman who was referred to rheumatology clinic for evaluation of two months of constitutional symptoms and a positive ANCA test, which had been ordered by her primary care doctor. Her…
Prior to the widespread use of bisphosphonates for the management of osteoporosis, multiple myeloma and metastatic cancer to the skeletal system, osteonecrosis of the jawbones was an infrequent condition seen after radiation for oral cancers (osteoradionecrosis) and in chronic odontogenic infections.1 Since the mid-2000s, osteonecrosis of the jawbones has been noted to occur as a…
Updated Oct. 22, 2015 (revised to delete inaccurate statistics) The cold, hard facts: This year’s rheumatology fellowship applicant pool resembles those of prior years. It is extremely diverse; every continent is represented, save Antarctica. It is somewhat larger, due in part to the growing influx of graduates from the cluster of Caribbean-based medical schools, where…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with more-severe acute coronary syndrome and poorer outcomes, according to a new study. “We found that despite the well-researched increased risk of acute coronary events (ACS) in RA, that there was almost no existing data describing clinical characteristics and outcomes of RA- and non-RA patients with ACS,”…