In May, the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) published its recommendations for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).1 The updated recommendations represent advances in drug development and availability since previous recommendations published in 2009, as well changes in treatment paradigms and the importance of associated aspects of the disease.2…
Which came first? The infectious microorganism or a host’s immune resistance against it? Through the millennia, a raging battle has pitted the hordes of infectious agents surrounding us against, arguably, the most complex biologic structure ever created, the finely tuned human immune system. The stakes are high for both sides. For the infectious agent, an…
Both due to its efficacy and favorable side effect profile when compared with alternative drugs for rheumatologic conditions, hydroxychloroquine is an important agent in rheumatologists’ armamentarium. However, one barrier to hydroxychloroquine use can be its effects on the eye (also see “Revised Retinopathy Screening Guidelines,”). Ocular side effects of hydroxychloroquine can include impact on the…
The first month of my last year of rheumatology fellowship began in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at Black Lion Hospital, a tertiary university medical center, where I [Dr. Mary Abraham] started an Emory-sponsored global health rotation. Although a very different beginning to my fellowship year, my experiences at Black Lion reminded me of my passion to…
This has been a year of tremendous growth, change and achievement for the ACR, and I have been fortunate to lead the ACR in these endeavors. The ACR and ARHP, including the ACR Executive Committee, the ACR Board of Directors, standing and special committee chairs and hundreds of dedicated volunteers, have contributed to this growth…
Researchers recently found that physical tests that involve an active muscle contraction were most useful in identifying gluteal tendinopathy in patients with lateral hip pain. However, patients who were not palpably tender over the greater trochanter were unlikely to have GT detected during an MRI…
A recent study established the equivalency of BI 695501, a biosimilar, to its reference product, adalimumab, for treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis…
All athletes—amateur and professional—should understand their risks for developing injury-related arthritis. Rheumatologists and other physicians at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York take a rapid approach to treating athletes, often considering intense physical therapy, innovative treatments and surgery much sooner than for the average patient—all to keep joints healthy and enable athletes to play for as long as possible…
With Medicare and insurers now incentivizing physicians for collecting and reporting data, rheumatologists need at least a minimum understanding of the gigabytes of information flowing through their practices. Actually, every medical practice should have at least one person with some informatics expertise, according to computer-programmer-turned-rheumatologist Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH. “Physicians need to be more…
With so many electronic health record (EHR) systems on the market, it can be difficult to decide which one to choose. You may want to ask your peers for recommendations, visit practices that are using a system you’re contemplating and consider advice in trade journals. Jeffrey G. Lawson, MD, physician, Piedmont Arthritis Clinic, Greenville, S.C.,…