Rheumatologists who are outstanding clinicians and provide consistent, exceptional care to patients are in the spotlight in our Lessons from a Master Clinician series. Here, we present insights from a clinician who has achieved distinction in the field of rheumatology, serving as a role model for colleagues and trainees. Alan Baer, MD, is currently a…
A new study in Arthritis Care & Research highlights potential differences in incidence, the presentation of prominent symptoms and laboratory findings in African Americans and Native Americans with Sjögren’s syndrome compared with white populations. Native Americans appear to be at higher risk of the disease, although they often display fewer of the classic symptoms. Importantly,…
A code change in the ICD-10 classification for Sjögren’s syndrome was approved by the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee in July 2019 and becomes effective October 2020.
ATLANTA—Dry eyes and mouth are common symptoms in the general population. When patients report these symptoms to their primary care provider and other consultants, it may prompt a referral to a rheumatologist to rule out Sjögren’s syndrome. However, as discussed in the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting session, Sjögren’s Syndrome: Beyond the Dryness, evaluation of this…
A 14-year-old girl is referred to your office for fatigue and arthralgias. While you’re obtaining her past medical history, she divulges that she has had four episodes of bilateral parotitis, each lasting two weeks. An otolaryngologist evaluated her. She lacked sicca symptoms, had a normal complete blood count (CBC), normal inflammatory markers and a negative…
ATLANTA—Dry eyes and mouth are common symptoms in the general population. When patients report these symptoms to their primary care provider and other consultants, it may prompt a referral to a rheumatologist to rule out Sjögren’s syndrome. However, as discussed in the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting session, Sjögren’s Syndrome: Beyond the Dryness, evaluation of this…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—New consensus-based recommendations from the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) address the management of Sjögren’s syndrome with topical and systemic therapies. Sjögren’s syndrome presents with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations and autoantibodies, including antinuclear antibodies (the most frequently detected), anti-Ro/SS-A (the most specific) and cryoglobulins and hypocomplementemia (the main prognostic markers)….
An antibody previously un-recognized in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome may shed new light on the pathophysiology of one of the most troubling and disabling symptoms in many of these patients. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, found the anti-calponin 3 antibody had a high specificity for Sjögren’s syndrome, particularly among patients with neuropathies.1 “There is…
Although not a first-line treatment, autologous serum tears are often used as a treatment option for dry eyes related to both ophthalmic and rheumatic conditions. Recent research into its efficacy also evaluated the treatment’s patient satisfaction, finding autologous serum tears reduced symptoms of dry eye disease and received high patient satisfaction scores…
Sjögren’s syndrome is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and subsequent destruction of exocrine glands. Sjögren’s syndrome can present with glandular or extra-glandular manifestations. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disease that can present as the initial manifestation in less than 5% of patients with Sjögren’s….