As treatments for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) emerge, a clinical trial comparing the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib and the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor adalimumab provided some new insights. Published earlier this year in The New England Journal of Medicine, the SELECT-PsA 1, double-blind, phase 3 trial found that a 30 mg dose of upadacitinib…
Approximately 50% of young adult patients with childhood-onset rheumatic diseases become lost to follow-up within the first year of transferring to adult rheumatology care, mirroring the statistics of other subspecialties.1,2 One of the challenges cited most consistently by young adult patients and their families relates to differences between rheumatology care delivery in the pediatric and…
Jeffrey Siegel, MD, Assumes New Position as Director for New Office of Drug Evaluation Sciences at the FDA On Feb. 16, Jeffrey Siegel, MD, became the director of the recently created Office of Drug Evaluation Sciences at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The move, he says, “puts together many of the different things…
“Maria” is a 54-year-old woman with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, as well as hypertension and hyperlipidemia. She is a new patient in your clinic following a move across the country to live with her children on a farm in a rural area of the Midwest. At her first visit, three months ago, you and Maria agreed—through…
Over the past 16 months, the world has shone a bright light on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Although the College has been focused on diversity initiatives since 2020, the interprofessional division of the College, the ARP, has recently taken a deeper dive into DEI initiatives in its processes, procedures and volunteering….
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are the focus of a new ACR/ARP subcommittee of the Collaborative Initiatives (COIN) Special Committee. The 13-member group will explore strategies to increase diversity in the rheumatology workforce pipeline and reduce implicit bias in such organizational processes as speaker recruitment and abstract review. “There is a new awareness at the…
The difference between Castleman disease and Castleman-like disease may be subtle, but it comes with significant ramifications. Case Presentation This case involves a pregnant 19-year-old woman who presents over multiple hospitalizations with concerns for systemic lupus erythematosus and macrophage activation syndrome. At 36 weeks’ gestation, the patient’s weight had dropped from 215 lbs. to 170…
The impressive progress of medical knowledge and technology reinforces our trust in the scientific methodology that made it all possible. However, that progress also creates risks related to the primary goal of medical care: to serve our patients’ interests and enjoyment of life in the best possible way. In this article we present our views…
Some were furious. State by state, laws were enacted to ensure compliance. In most states, the laws were accompanied by a modest fine, as an added incentive. By the time the laws were written, most understood they were based on good science and common sense. The potential to save lives and prevent tragedy was finally…
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated wide disparities that exist in the U.S. healthcare system. During the pandemic, the clinical practice in the Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology at Yale School of Medicine (YSM), New Haven, Conn., rapidly pivoted from face-to-face visits to telehealth to keep our patients and providers safe. Many patients quickly adapted and…