PHILADELPHIA—It is often the case that a holistic approach to the management of autoimmune disease is what patients are looking for and may indeed provide optimal care for these patients. At ACR Convergence 2022, the session titled ACR Guideline for Physical, Psychosocial, Mind-Body and Nutritional Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Integrative Approach to Treatment sought…
Pseudo-What? Exploring the Classification Criteria Development Process for CPPD
PHILADELPHIA—The term pseudogout has been a source of confusion among rheumatologists, especially as our understanding of calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition (CPPD) disease has become more nuanced. This condition has many complex and interesting facets that warrant closer investigation. An ACR Convergence 2022 session sought to update the audience on the progress to date in developing…
Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Updates on the ACR/EULAR Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria
PHILADELPHIA—Ever since the seminal work of C. Lockard Conley, MD, in 1952 of the discovery of the lupus anticoagulant, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) has been of great interest to rheumatologists, hematologists and many others. At ACR Convergence 2022, the session titled Draft ACR/EULAR Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria sought to summarize the rigorous process that went into…
Rheumatology Medications with Limited Safety Data: How Do We Use Them in Pregnant Patients?
How does a rheumatologist treat a pregnant woman when many medications are not approved for pregnancy or safety data are limited?
ACR Workforce Solutions Committee Crafting Answers to Looming Workforce Shortage
With a shortage of rheumatologists looming, the committee is working to avert a void in patient care.
Highlights from the ACR Review Course 2022
PHILADELPHIA—At ACR Convergence 2022, the much-anticipated ACR Review Course featured talks from eight experts. Topics reflected the heterogeneity of our field and included Sjögren’s disease, spondyloarthritis (SpA), osteoarthritis (OA), paraneoplastic rheumatic syndromes, metabolic bone disease, statin myopathy, Raynaud’s phenomenon and autoinflammatory syndrome. Here, I share highlights from this comprehensive, six-hour session. Sjögren’s Disease Sara S….
String of Pearls: Lessons in Rheumatoid Arthritis
PHILADELPHIA—William “Bill” R. Palmer, MD, MACR, was the first board-certified rheumatologist in Omaha, Neb., where he spent his entire 43-year clinical career and established himself as a great clinician, mentor and educator. Although Dr. Palmer passed away from metastatic thyroid cancer in August 2021, his memory lives on through his physician colleagues and at ACR…
How to Welcome & Care for Gender Diverse Patients
This session provided both advice on providing clinical care and tips on the subtleties of terminology when interacting with trans & nonbinary or gender diverse patients.
To Treat or Not to Treat? The Great Debate on Treatment of Subclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis
PHILADELPHIA—One of the great advancements in the field of rheumatology in recent years has been the increased understanding of various stages of disease in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including what is termed subclinical rheumatoid arthritis. However, questions remain regarding whether to treat patients with subclinical disease and whether treatment of these patients has implications in preventing…
The Complexity of SLE Drug Research
PHILADELPHIA—On Saturday, Nov. 12, at ACR Convergence 2022, Joan T. Merrill, MD, director of clinical projects in the Arthritis & Clinical Immunology Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, gave a presentation on the future of drug development and treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She described how an in-depth understanding of…