A key question many graduating rheumatology fellows face each year is: Are you interested in pursuing a career in academic medicine or in private practice? Although the two tracks are not mutually exclusive, it is true that juggling the demands of scholarly work, medical education and a busy clinical workload is by no means easy….
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…
Large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia is a rare, chronic, lymphoproliferative disorder of cytotoxic T cell or natural killer cell lineage with an annual incidence of 0.72 cases per 1 million people in the U.S.1 The most common subtype of LGL leukemia, T-LGL leukemia, follows an indolent disease course and accounts for approximately 85% of cases….
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a granulomatous vasculitis of large- and medium-sized arteries, usually affecting the cranial branches of the aortic arch. It is the most common vasculitis, with the highest risk factor being age. Accurate diagnosis and prompt initiation of therapy are of great importance to prevent serious complications, with the most feared being…
It was Christmas Eve, 1996. The pain had become excruciating—it had to be for Kerby to opt to go to the hospital on Christmas Eve because Kerby’s pain tolerance was high. At that point, he had been living with what had ultimately been diagnosed as psoriatic arthritis for about 30 years. That Christmas Eve, the…
On Sept. 9, my 5-year-old son boarded a bus for his first day of kindergarten. In some senses, this was no different from any other year. We spent weeks trying to get him excited for school (he is not a fan of changes). We went to kindergarten orientation, toured his classroom and sat on his…
The high prevalence and significant burden of osteoarthritis (OA) are well known. But it’s becoming apparent that OA research efforts don’t necessarily match disease prevalence or disability. The International Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Consortium (IFOAC) is an international organization of volunteers that seeks to highlight a major and often overlooked problem in OA research—foot and…
ACR CONVERGENCE 2021—Rheumatologists are often left in a challenging space when managing medications for patients with rheumatic diseases in relation to contraception, pregnancy and breastfeeding, especially with many novel immunosuppressants and often a dearth of pregnancy safety data. On Nov. 6 during ACR Convergence 2021, leading reproductive health experts came together to speak on this…
On Nov. 3, the inaugural, virtual Global Rheumatology Summit brought together specialists from all over the world to share critical expertise on global health issues related to rheumatology.
Michael B. Brenner, MD, addresses exciting advances in basic science in rheumatology, including insights into inflammation in osteoarthritis, the adult-onset autoinflammatory syndrome VEXAS and more.