Recent research examined the use of apremilast in patients with psoriatic arthritis using the Clinical Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (cDAPSA) measurement. The findings suggest patients with moderate disease activity at baseline benefit most from the treatment…
In a matter of weeks, the COVID‑19 crisis has totally upended clinical medicine and the practice of rheumatology. Our old ways of seeing patients in person, precepting fellows in clinic or on the consult service, and leading in-person interactive teaching rounds are gone for now and possibly for good. But how can we replace these…
In 2001, Victoria Seligman, MD, MPH, was vacationing in Vietnam. While traveling by train, she met a student from Yale University who was working on the school’s Cambodian Genocide Program, which documents the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979 under the Khmer Rouge regime. Approximately 1.7 million people—representing 21% of the population—were slaughtered….
Ageism is defined as stereotyping, prejudice or discrimination against individuals on the basis of their age. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), 43% of all physicians and surgeons are 55 or older. Specialists are, on average, older than primary care doctors. In addition, around 30% of the current U.S. population is older than 55,…
As state rheumatology societies go, the Nebraska Rheumatology Society (NRS) is one of the new kids on the block. Established two years ago, the NRS hopes to involve all 27 rheumatologists across the state. Marcus Snow, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha, says the state’s rheumatologists are spread across…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Choosing the right treatment at the right time is the brass ring all rheumatologists hope for. Precision medicine provides the ability to leverage clinical, biomarker and omics data to predict and personalize future treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). “New data and new methods to analyze the data are helping us better predict patterns…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—A major workforce shortage, a population of patients taking immunosuppressants where safety concerns and the patient experience are critical, and an increasing focus on remote patient monitoring and telehealth are driving a discussion regarding the role digital wearables play in rheumatologic care. “We need to be more thoughtful and efficient in taking care…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—The science underlying the neurobiology of chronic pain isn’t something rheumatologists often think about. However, pain is an important reason why patients see a rheumatologist. At the 2020 ACR Winter Symposium in January, Leslie Crofford, MD, gave two presentations addressing pain experienced by rheumatology patients, including a session on the fundamental mechanisms of…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Current trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy are the increased use of newer medication categories, such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (Jakinibs) and biologics, and the rising costs of treatment. Unchanged is the consistent use of methotrexate as an effective therapy. These topics and more were discussed at the ACR Winter Symposium during…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—The study of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV) is ongoing, and research results should help improve treatment for this patient population. Key trials and therapeutic options were discussed at the 2020 ACR Winter Symposium during the session, Update on the Treatment of ANCA-Associated Vasculitis, by Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH, chief of…