PHILADELPHIA—Abraham Verghese, MD, best-selling author and infectious disease specialist, told a packed hall at the opening ceremony of ACR Convergence that he didn’t need to look far to find heroes not much different from the protagonists he has written about in his novels, which blend medical mystery with the passions and tragedies of human existence….
PHILADELPHIA—Approximately 100 research abstracts on axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) were accepted for presentation at ACR Convergence 2022. It is exciting to see a wealth of research on axSpA being undertaken worldwide. Here, we highlight important points from 10 of these studies. 1. Abstract 0378: Prevalence of Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in Patients Treated for Chronic Back Pain…
PHILADELPHIA—At the first Plenary Session of ACR Convergence 2022, on Saturday, Nov. 12, speakers shared key research findings on the efficacy and safety of methotrexate as a co-therapy with pegloticase in refractory gout, the effectiveness of rituximab and cyclophosphamide in connective tissue disease associated-interstitial lung disease and the value of remote education for primary care…
Key successes for the rheumatology community secured by the ACR’s delegation include passage of the ACR’s resolution addressing pharmacy benefit administrators, advances in policies to protect rheumatologists and patients in the post-Dobbs landscape and retention of the rheumatology’s representation in the AMA House of Delegates.
In his new role as the 86th president of the ACR, Douglas White, MD, PhD, is excited about the opportunities to serve and energize the organization and members in the coming year.
The patient, a 76-year-old woman, had very active polyarticular rheumatoid arthritis (RA), despite triple therapy with conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), low-dose corticosteroids and occasional intra-articular injections—the latter providing only transient symptomatic relief. She had elevated inflammatory markers and a 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS-28) score of 7.4. Because of the severity of her…
Early in 2022, a few months into the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, Paula Rackoff, MD, a rheumatologist and clinical associate professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, felt an urgency to head to the region to assist the many refugees fleeing for the border with Poland. Dr. Rackoff canceled a planned…
Syphilis, an ancient disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, has been historically referred to as the great mimicker given its heterogenous presentation. Both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and syphilis can have multi-systemic involvement. Both parvovirus B19 and syphilis have been reported to cause histologic features similar to those seen in lupus nephritis. We present…
Despite an expanding armamentarium of disease-modifying treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), some patients with RA remain symptomatic.1 Current treatment guidelines from both the ACR and the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommend treat-to-target strategies to achieve remission or low disease activity, and patients want to feel better.2,3 So how can we best help…
Rheumatologists who are outstanding clinicians, provide consistently exceptional care to patients and serve as role models for colleagues and trainees are in the spotlight in our Lessons from a Master Clinician series. Here, we offer insights from clinicians who have achieved a level of distinction in the field of rheumatology. Eric L. Matteson, MD, MPH,…