Lung disease is common, variable and frequently underdiagnosed in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. An expert pulmonologist and a rheumatologist discussed the diagnosis and management of pulmonary manifestations of Sjögren’s syndrome during ACR Convergence 2021.
A Rheumatologist & Pulmonologist Discuss RA-ILD
Introduction The understanding and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has evolved dramatically in the past 20 years. As gains have been made in treating joint disease in RA, our understanding of the impact of extra-articular manifestations of RA, such as cardiac and lung disease—specifically interstitial lung disease (ILD)—has gradually increased. While rheumatologists increasingly appreciate the…
What Listening to Lungs Might Teach About Rheumatic Disease
One of your first clinical assignments as a medical student was likely to have been the lung exam. Its key descriptors may still resonate in your mind: inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation. Proudly parading down the hospital corridors, your newly purchased stethoscope snugly tucked inside your lab coat pocket, you carefully place its cold metal…
Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome with Pulmonary Hemorrhage: A Case Report
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune condition characterized by hypercoagulability often manifested as recurrent thrombosis or pregnancy complications, with persistently circulating antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies or lupus anticoagulant. Catastrophic APS (CAPS), also known as Asherson syndrome, occurs in less than 1% of cases of APS and involves occlusive microangiopathy in at least three organ systems.1 Case…
Inspiratory Muscle Training Boosts Lung Strength in Ankylosing Spondylitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Inspiratory muscle training can help improve aerobic capacity and pulmonary function in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to new findings presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress. “Inspiratory muscle training as a stand-alone therapy improves inspiratory muscle function (strength and endurance), decreases symptoms of dyspnea and improves exercise capacity,”…
2014 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Lung Fibrosis
New drugs, targeted treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Fellow’s Forum Case Report: When Pulmonary Symptoms Point to Rheumatic Disease
A 48-year-old man with diffuse arthralgias and acute respiratory failure is diagnosed with antisynthetase syndrome