“Worst of all is the pain in my calves,” she said. “It feels like burning deep inside.” So began my first encounter with a 69-year-old woman who was referred to rheumatology clinic for evaluation of two months of constitutional symptoms and a positive ANCA test, which had been ordered by her primary care doctor. Her…
Prior to the widespread use of bisphosphonates for the management of osteoporosis, multiple myeloma and metastatic cancer to the skeletal system, osteonecrosis of the jawbones was an infrequent condition seen after radiation for oral cancers (osteoradionecrosis) and in chronic odontogenic infections.1 Since the mid-2000s, osteonecrosis of the jawbones has been noted to occur as a…
For 30 years, the Rheumatology Research Foundation has been working to advance research and training to improve the health of people with rheumatic diseases. The past three decades are replete with the achievement of significant milestones and extraordinary accomplishments. Funding Research, Training The Foundation’s efforts began in 1985 when it was established by the ACR….
Updated Oct. 22, 2015 (revised to delete inaccurate statistics) The cold, hard facts: This year’s rheumatology fellowship applicant pool resembles those of prior years. It is extremely diverse; every continent is represented, save Antarctica. It is somewhat larger, due in part to the growing influx of graduates from the cluster of Caribbean-based medical schools, where…
LONDON (Reuters)—U.S. prices for the world’s 20 top-selling medicines are, on average, three times higher than in Britain, according to an analysis carried out for Reuters. The finding underscores a transatlantic gulf between the price of treatments for a range of diseases and follows demands for lower drug costs in America from industry critics such…
(Reuters Health)—Fluorescent lotion and black light revealed that healthcare workers often contaminate their skin and clothing while removing their protective gear, researchers say. This contamination can spread germs and place the healthcare workers at risk for infection, the authors write in JAMA Internal Medicine. “It was surprising for the participants in the study to see…
A Phase 3 study found secukinumab may be an effective alternative to anti-TNF therapies for treating psoriatic arthritis, suggesting interleukin 17A may play a role in the disease…
(Reuters)—Pop singer and actress Selena Gomez has revealed in an interview that she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease lupus, which led to her canceling the end of her tour in 2013, but that the disease is now in remission. “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy,” Gomez, 23, told Billboard magazine….
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors is associated with a doubling of the risk of central nervous system demyelinating disease, researchers from Denmark report. “Based on the current evidence anti-TNF should be used cautiously in patients with an own or family history of demyelinating disease,” Dr. Nynne…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with more-severe acute coronary syndrome and poorer outcomes, according to a new study. “We found that despite the well-researched increased risk of acute coronary events (ACS) in RA, that there was almost no existing data describing clinical characteristics and outcomes of RA- and non-RA patients with ACS,”…