In 2022, an international group of researchers reported the seminal finding that a gain-of-function variant of a single-stranded ribonucleic acid (RNA) sensor, known as toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), can cause human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).1 The paper in Nature showed that a newly described variant of TLR7, identified in a child with severe lupus, was…
Frailty & Prefrailty in Patients with RA TNF-α inhibitors associated with higher infection risk By Namrata Singh, MD, MSCI, Katherine D. Wysham, MD, James S. Andrews, MD, & Una E. Makris, MD Why was this study done? Frailty and prefrailty are more common and occur at a younger age in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)…
Solomon et al. examined whether a mobile application (app) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis integrated in the electronic health record would be used by patients and rheumatologists.
Checking blood levels of commonly used disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has gained widespread attention in the rheumatology community, even resulting in a recent guidance document from EULAR for biologics.1 Although a highly useful tool, drug level measurement in rheumatology is not without challenges; many of our drugs violate the basic principles of pharmacology that we…
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often face many concerns, fears and uncertainties that render “treatment decision making very difficult,” says Jasvinder Singh, MD, MPH, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Often these patients, who tend to be women from minority groups, “do not have access to easily understandable…
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, confusion and concern for immunosuppressed patients grew among rheumatologists and patients alike. Research has helped bridge the knowledge gap, and treatment options for COVID-19 have helped ease concerns.
For individuals living with rheumatic disease, chronic pain can be one of the more difficult symptoms to manage—leaving individuals to search for therapies and medications to live a more comfortable life. Rheumatic diseases may be a cause of pain, some more acute or flare driven and others more chronic pain, or pain that lasts more…
Experts described the latest breakthroughs related to lupus and the brain, including the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to gain insights into brain fog. Research into the role of microglia in neuropsychiatric lupus is also described.
How can we ensure patients are receiving care that addresses all of the ways rheumatic disease affects their life? In this ACR Convergence 2023 session, experts discuss the value of a strong interprofessional care team.
Originally posted Feb. 13, 2023; reposted in conjunction with publication of the PMR supplement to the February 2024 issue of The Rheumatologist. PHILADELPHIA—Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a chronic inflammatory condition that almost exclusively affects individuals older than 50.1 First described in 1888, PMR has been a recognized rheumatic disease since at least 1957. Diagnosing the…