CHICAGO—Choosing a treatment for antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) involves an array of factors, from the antibodies present to their titers to other risk factors, said Lisa Sammaritano, MD, during a guided tour of APS treatment at the 2019 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, held April 5–7. Dr. Sammaritano, associate attending physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery,…
SAN FRANCISCO—The 13th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), held April 5–8, highlighted continuing advances in the fight against lupus, a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease affecting multiple organ systems. The rheumatologist’s ability to control this incurable and life-threatening condition is limited both by its heterogeneous presentation and by the lack of successful treatment options,…
The pathogenesis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is complicated and may involve local inflammation, vasculopathy, pregnancy complications and thrombosis. During the 2019 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Lisa Sammaritano, MD, addressed the risk assessment and treatment of APS patients…
A recent study details the autoantibodies of patients with myositis, confirming most patients carry these antibodies. The results also describe how myositis-specific autoantibodies can be used to identify distinct clinical subsets of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy…
Certolizumab pegol has been approved in Canada for treating adults with plaque psoriasis. The U.K. has also issued its final guidance for the treatment’s use…
My nephew is an addict. These words do not come easily to me, but I have come to accept them as true. In retrospect, I should have recognized the telltale signs: He stopped picking up the phone when I call. He disappears and then re-emerges hours later, seemingly having done nothing. He has lost interest…
CHICAGO—Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) mainly affects young women, but can also affect men. APS patients test positive for multiple antibodies, including lupus anticoagulant (LAC), anti-cardiolipin and/or anti-beta2-glycoprotein I. These antibodies are diagnostic of APS, and they place the patient at increased risk for thrombosis and, in women, pregnancy morbidity. Women with LAC or those who…
2018 Evelyn V. Hess Award The Evelyn V. Hess Award is given annually to recognize the exceptional contributions of a clinical or basic researcher whose body of work has advanced the understanding of the science of lupus treatment. At a reception during the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Chicago, the Lupus Foundation of America presented…
CHICAGO—The correct dosing of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a concern of all rheumatologists. Petros Efthimiou, MD, clinical professor of medicine at New York University, New York City, opened the Great Debate of the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting by stating, “Today, we will be discussing a critical clinical problem that affects everyone’s…
CHICAGO—Reproductive health can be a concern for patients with rheumatic diseases, and practitioners in both disciplines often work closely together. The Reproductive Health in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases Guideline, a draft of new clinical recommendations developed by an ACR-convened group for pregnant women, post-menopausal women, lactating women, and women and men trying to conceive or…