Mounting evidence indicates that exposure to inorganic dust is a risk factor for the development of autoimmune diseases. According to a recent study, dust exposure during military service in dusty environments represents an occupational and environmental risk and was associated with a 10% increased risk of developing RA.
Jason Springer, MD, MS, served as one of the lead authors of the ACR/VF guidelines for polyarteritis nodosa (PAN), and talks about the recommendations specific to PAN here.
Marian Hannan Celebrated after 10 Years as AC&R Editor-in-Chief By Kelly April Tyrrell This summer, the 10-year tenure of Marian Hannan, MPH, DSc, as editor in chief of Arthritis Care & Research (AC&R), has come to an end. Kelli Allen, PhD, assumed the post on July 1. “Marian has done a fantastic job over the…
PRSYM 2021—Although primary COVID-19 infection has the most significant complications in adult patients, pediatric rheumatologists have also seen significant changes in their practice over the past year. With the emergence of COVID-19, the rise of a mysterious post-COVID hyperÂinflammatory syndrome, now known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), was identified, and pediatric rheumatologists have…
On Sept. 1, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is requiring revisions to the Boxed Warning for the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors Xeljanz/Xeljanz XR (tofacitinib), Olumiant (baricitinib) and Rinvoq (upadacitinib) to include information about the risks of serious heart-related events, cancer, blood clots and death.1 Recommendations for healthcare professionals will include…
PRSYM—At the 2021 Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium (PRSYM), a session on lupus provided a robust discussion of recent advances in lupus treatments and genetic discoveries in pediatric rheumatology. Lupus Nephritis The first speaker was Shaun Jackson, MD, PhD, a pediatric nephrologist and rheumatologist and associate professor at Seattle Children’s. His presentation focused on state-of-the-art treatments in…
At a recent ACR town hall, panelists described immune responses and side effects of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with rheumatic disease, along with ways to leverage monoclonal antibody treatments, especially in light of virus variants.
One of the oldest treatment options in rheumatology, colchicine, may be an effective and inexpensive treatment to prevent complications in non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19, particularly in men, according to the results of large global study.
Discovered more than 3,000 years ago, colchicine is one of the oldest drugs still in use today. Like most old remedies, colchicine is a chemical substance found in many plants, most notably in colchicum autumnale, known as wild saffron or autumn crocus. It was mentioned in the oldest Egyptian medical text, Ebers Papyrus (circa 1550…
Filip Van den Bosch, MD, described his strategies for caring for patients with SpA and the possibility of achieving disease inactivity.