Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) is a diagnosis given to patients who do not fulfill current classification criteria for named connective tissue diseases (CTD)—systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc), or Sjögren’s disease—but who nonetheless have clinical signs and symptoms and serological evidence of autoimmune CTDs. In 1980 LeRoy et al. were…
Clinicians should not rely on glucocorticoids as a first-line treatment of SARD-ILD in patients with systemic sclerosis, according to a strong recommendation in a new ILD treatment guideline from the ACR and CHEST. The guideline is one of two addressing the screening, monitoring and treatment of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) secondary to systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).
Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an acquired thromboinflammatory disease that can have severe, sometimes catastrophic, effects on patients and their families. Our modern understanding of APS began to emerge in the early 1980s. At that point, it was defined as a condition characterized by thrombotic episodes and/or pregnancy complications in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL).1…
Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a systemic autoinflammatory disorder characterized by persistent fever at regular intervals, arthralgias or arthritis, rash, sore throat and neutrophilic leukocytosis.1,2 Significant elevation in ferritin levels is characteristic and tends to correlate with disease activity. Additional clinical features may include myalgias, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, serositis, myocarditis, abnormal liver function tests and development…
Pachydermoperiostosis (PDP), also known as Touraine-Solente-Golé syndrome or primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, is a rare syndrome that can be inherited as autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or sporadically. This progressive disease primarily affects males, who tend to have more severe features than females. PDP usually occurs during adolescence, often starting around puberty.1 The main clinical features are…
Regaining a sense of control, limiting responsibilities and engaging in mindfulness can help rheumatologists manage their mental health needs. Rheumatologists should also address the mental health concerns raised by their patients. Here are insights from a psychiatrist/rheumatologist.
In this ACR Convergence 2023 session, experts offered guidance on a selection of diagnostic & treatment challenges rheumatologists may encounter.
A Shift in Prescribing Patterns Safety issues prompt discontinuation of tofacitinib By Stephanie Song, MD, & Joshua F. Baker, MD, MSCE Why was this study done? The ORAL Surveillance study highlighted risks of cardiac events, thromboembolism (VTE) and malignancy associated with use of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi). We sought to determine the impact of safety…
As they usually are, the pediatrics are absolutely correct: A child is not just a little adult. The same can be said for the eldest among us: Senior citizens are more than just old adults; they have their own biopsychosocial considerations that we, as rheumatologists, must tend to. Among all the conditions that we find…
In an ACR Convergence 2022 session, Robert Spiera, MD, director of the Scleroderma, Vasculitis, and Myositis Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York City, discussed the use of sarilumab as a potential glucocorticoid-sparing therapy in a phase 3 study in patients with treatment-refractory polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), one of the most common inflammatory diseases…