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…
Defined by the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in individuals with clinical evidence of thrombosis or pregnancy morbidity, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune thrombophilia. Clinical thrombosis, which should be confirmed by objective validated criteria (e.g., imaging studies or histopathology), can occur in the arterial, venous or small vessel vasculature and is not limited…
CHICAGO—When it comes to treating patients with rheumatic diseases who are in the intensive care unit (ICU), there are so many complications and considerations that few rules exist as a guide. But Paul Dellaripa, MD, associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said at the ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium that there are basic steps a rheumatologist…
In an observational study, physicians found that systemic rheumatic disease exacerbation and treatment-related infections were often related to the lungs…