Atul Kapila, MD, Tayseer Haroun, MBBS, & Jayanth Doss, MD | Issue: April 2017 |
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and subsequent destruction of exocrine glands. Sjögren’s syndrome can present with glandular or extra-glandular manifestations. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disease that can present as the initial manifestation in less than 5% of patients with Sjögren’s….
Recent updates to criteria used for diagnosing neuromyelitis optica (NMO) are aimed at helping physicians make the differential diagnosis of this disorder differentiating it from other inflammatory disorders—a diagnosis that can be difficult given the presenting symptoms that can mimic a number of other conditions, such as multiple sclerosis. Published in July 2015, the new…
Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in the joints of patients may drive the pathology of spondyloarthritis through the production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). A recent study found that both GM-CSF-producing CD4 T cells and the GM-CSF+ Th17 cells expressed high levels of GPR65—indicating that both GM-CSF and GPR65 may be therapeutic targets for spondyloarthritis…
SAN FRANCISCO—Let’s say your radiologist comes to you and says that an angiogram gives a diagnosis of CNS vasculitis on four patients, all with acute onset of headache and stroke: One is a 25-year-old woman who is three months pregnant. Another is a 50-year-old man using excessive doses of nasal decongestants. Another is a 40-year-old…