Susan Bernstein is a freelance journalist based in Atlanta. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Fla. Susan has worked as a professional journalist, writer, book author and editor for 25 years. She served in full-time positions with both the Arthritis Foundation and the American College of Rheumatology. She began working as a freelance journalist in 2011. Susan is the author of numerous Web and print articles on a variety of medical topics and is the author of three patient health books published by the Arthritis Foundation.
Physicians already know a great deal about Sjögren’s syndrome’s symptoms and potential complications, and a new study confirms data on two long-suspected predictors of progression (i.e., measurable phenotypic findings) that could show which patients are likely to progress to active disease: hypergammaglobulinemia and hypocomplementemia. Published in the February issue of Arthritis Care & Research, “Natural… [Read More]
How will big data mined from huge sample sizes in research cohorts, electronic health records, personal health data (e.g., heart rates from Fitbits) and insurance claim data sets change the way physicians interpret something as simple as complete blood count (CBC) test results for individual patients? According to the authors of a paper in the… [Read More]
Data from the ACR’s Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) were used by rheumatology researchers in a crop of new studies that will be presented at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Oct. 19–24 in Chicago. Six abstracts, including four oral and two poster presentations, were accepted for this year’s meeting. They explore topics ranging from… [Read More]
Two of the ACR’s Collaborative Initiatives (COIN) programs share a goal: to educate non-rheumatologist providers about systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) symptoms to facilitate referrals, accurate diagnosis and therapy. Small Group Provider Sessions Launched in 2016, Small Group Provider Sessions provide lupus education while connecting frontline providers to a local rheumatologist in often underserved areas. The… [Read More]
While African-Americans and Hispanics—especially women in these ethnic groups—are disproportionately affected by lupus, they are under-represented in clinical trials in lupus and other chronic diseases.1,2 With the help of a new federal grant, the ACR took the first step to address this lack of diversity in lupus trials this year. The ACR’s Collaboration Initiatives (COIN)… [Read More]
Technology in medicine is no longer new or trendy. It’s pervasive. Rheumatologists may now assume a patient has searched online for information about his or her diagnosis or potential therapies. Both physicians and rheumatology health professionals should acknowledge their patients’ Internet surfing and find out what they’ve read, says Betsy Roth-Wojcicki, RN, MS, CPNP, an… [Read More]
Each fall, the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting takes place in a major U.S. city. More than 15,000 people fill the cavernous halls of the area convention center and nearby hotels to attend scientific and educational sessions, scan the latest data on posters and mingle with colleagues at the annual Presidents’ Reception. What most attendees may not… [Read More]
How do you ask a new patient about sex and gender—or know which pronoun to use? Keep the conversation straightforward and respectful to put everyone at ease, says Morgan Orndorff, a transgender man who works as an administrator at a major academic medical center. “Everyone is a little different in terms of their sensitivity level”… [Read More]
In the U.S. today, approximately 45% of pregnancies are unintended or unplanned.1 Although this rate is considerably lower than in the past, women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or inflammatory myopathies tend to have better pregnancy outcomes if their disease is well controlled when they conceive. In addition, women taking certain medications… [Read More]
Retirement is not always the closing chapter of a long career. For some rheumatologists, it’s the start of new, fulfilling storylines. “I never thought I wouldn’t practice medicine until I was physically unable to do it anymore,” says Harry Gewanter, MD, who retired from his Richmond, Va., pediatric rheumatology practice two years ago. Dr. Gewanter… [Read More]