The diagnosis of rheumatic diseases requires the exclusion of other systemic disorders. Infection, hematologic conditions, malignancies and some drugs may all lead to syndromes that closely mimic rheumatic diseases, which may lead to diagnostic delays. Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative diseases (LPDs) characterized by systemic inflammatory manifestations.1,2 As with…
Social media connections, such as LupusChat and online resources from the ACR’s Lupus Initiative, are providing safe spaces and support for lupus patients during the COVID-19 pandemic…
Researchers have identified 93 genes that may play a role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including 47 genes not previously associated with SLE. Theresulting transcriptome has revealed underappreciated genes and pathways associated with the pathogenesis of SLE…
ACR BEYOND LIVE—Among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lupus nephritis remains one of the leading causes of mortality, and patients with both SLE and end-stage renal disease demonstrate standardized mortality ratios higher than 60 times that of patients with SLE who have normal kidney function.1 Although the ACR Guidelines for Screening, Treatment, and Management…
Rheumatologists should not be falsely reassured by a normal mean blood pressure in lupus patients, according to a study from Johns Hopkins University that found age-related blood pressure patterns in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) differ from the general population and that increased diastolic blood pressure variability (BPV) is highly associated with cardiovascular events in SLE.1…
Given how unexpectedly front and center hydroxychloroquine has been in discussions about the treatment of COVID-19 this year, it makes sense to look at how it became so central to the treatment of a rheumatologic condition. In 1991, an article appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine that would alter the way rheumatologists approached…
A recent study found SLE patients may improve their daily physical function, pain and overall quality of life by adding upper limb exercises to stable treatment regimens and routine care…
A recent study reinforces the growing understanding that the fatigue many SLE patients experience should be considered a lupus symptom. Researchers found that using patient-reported outcomes to identify type 2 symptoms of SLE may improve patient communication, understanding and overall care…
How does a patient transition from health to active SLE? This question is the crux of the research conducted by Judith A. James, MD, PhD, and colleagues…
A recent study published in Lupus Science & Medicine lays out five of the top barriers impeding progress in lupus diagnosis and treatment.1 The Addressing Lupus Pillars for Health Advancement project (ALPHA), led by the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA), researchers at the Tufts School of Medicine Center for the Study of Drug Development (Tufts…