Editor’s note: Originally published on Oct. 12, 2023. Updated Feb. 28, 2024, to add fact sheets. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a leading cause of medical errors and poor care is a lack of communication between healthcare providers.1 As healthcare has evolved, the importance of holistic care has become more…
Throughout her medical training, Noelle A. Rolle, MBBS, encountered many patients struggling with both rheumatic disease and issues of health equity and access to care. This drew her to rheumatology and, now, to lead the ACR’s Collaborative Initiatives Committee.
On Nov. 4, 2022, the world lost a learned professor, a dedicated doctor, an inquisitive scientist, an adept clinician and, above all, an epitome of Athena’s representation of Mentor in Homer’s Odyssey. Robert W. Lightfoot Jr., MD, had come a long way. Born in 1937, toward the end of the Great Depression, in Nashville, Tenn.,…
SAN DIEGO—During ACR Convergence 2023 in November, the ACR and the ARP honored a group of distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to rheumatology research, education and patient care. This month, The Rheumatologist profiles the recipients of the ARP President’s Awards. The ARP president can choose to honor ACR/ARP members or teams performing outstanding…
Intermittent fasting—defined as alternating between cycles of eating and going without food over a given period of time—has become popular with individuals seeking to lose weight or balance their lifestyle in recent years. During Ramadan (a period based on the Gregorian calendar that changes from year to year), able-bodied Muslims are obligated to observe a…
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…
A minority of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who were new to rheumatology practice were prescribed steroid-sparing agents through two years of follow-up. This is according to a large, U.S.-based cohort study, published in Arthritis Care & Research, which also found that nearly two-thirds of the patients remained on glucocorticoids beyond one year.1 “Our study…
Background/Purpose It has been reported that 20–50% of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) have subclinical giant cell arteritis (GCA). The natural history of ultrasound-defined subclinical GCA in PMR is not known. Methods Twenty-five newly diagnosed PMR patients who met a clinical diagnosis for PMR, verified by two rheumatologists, were examined by ultrasound. All six branches…
Rheumatologists who are outstanding researchers, educators and/or clinicians, who provide consistently exceptional care to patients, who have achieved a level of distinction in the field and who serve as role models for colleagues and trainees are highlighted in this recurring series. Fred Wigley, MD, MACR, is the Martha McCrory Professor of Medicine at the Johns…
Is it 2024 already? It seems like yesterday that I stuffed all my earthly belongings into my black Volkswagen Jetta and headed from Lexington, Ky., to Iowa City, Iowa, to start my rheumatology fellowship.1 That was 10 years ago. Now, in 2024, as I go online—particularly on social media—and see the various happy, smiling faces…