As a manifestation of hyperuricemia, inflammatory bullous lesions have rarely been described in the past century. A more classic presentation of hyperuricemia is acute inflammatory gouty arthritis, characterized by the deposition of monosodium urate crystals. Other complications of chronic untreated hyperuricemia may include polyarticular arthritis, tophus formation and possible chronic destructive lesions of the bone,…
Editor’s note: The new Pillar Talk column is developed by the ARHP Executive Committee in an effort to share information about ongoing activities related to our four pillars: Education, Practice, Research and Advocacy. The ARHP Practice Committee is committed to addressing the current needs and evolving practice opportunities for health professionals working in rheumatology. A…
The words genetically modified are making people run for the hills these days. Not so when it comes to arthritis care, however. In the lab of one pioneering researcher, genetic engineering is catapulting arthritis treatment years ahead. Farshid Guilak, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University, St. Louis, and…
A 66-year-old woman returns to the office for a follow-up visit. She is seen by the physician assistant (PA) for her rheumatoid arthritis. She is experiencing burning pain in her right knee, and she reports that after going for her morning walk, she rates the pain at a 6 on a scale of 10. She…
As medical professionals, we understand the impact quality research can have on how we care for our patients. The extensive adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) has enabled the collection of big data in rheumatology. This has provided a new and unique opportunity for the rheumatology community to conduct in-depth research into how patients are…
Continually building awareness and understanding of rheumatic diseases is critical to both our profession and patient care, according to Kelly Weselman, MD, a rheumatologist in Smyrna, Ga., and a passionate advocate involved in planning the ACR’s annual Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month (RDAM). “Unlike cancer patients, whose disease is well known, patients battling a rheumatic disease…
(Reuters Health)—The U.S. needs to curb excessive opioid prescribing and improve access to pain management techniques, suggests a new government study. Researchers found that more than one third of U.S. adults were prescribed the medications in 2015 and many also misused the drugs. “A very large proportion and large number of adults use these medications…
Research has shed light on the genetic mutations that link GDF5 with arthritis and height. An ancient regulatory variant in GROW1 has been repeatedly selected in humans in northern environments, explaining the high frequency of a GDF5 haplotype that increases arthritis susceptibility…
The AMA House of Delegates (HOD) met in Chicago for its annual meeting June 9–14. More than 530 HOD members were present, with several hundred AMA and association staff and guests. As I am sure you have noted from past issues of ACR@Work, the ACR is in its five-year membership review. The ACR must be…
Researchers may have established a relationship between a new RA autoantibody, anti-carbamylated protein (anti-CarP) antibodies, and increased mortality risk. The recent study showed that anti-CarP was the only autoantibody associated with mortality, specifically respiratory system cause of death…