In a small study, an anti-inflammatory diet helped reduce pain and swelling in a subset of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Diet changes are complementary to standard treatment. Diet-related research can be challenging, but many patients with RA are motivated to try healthy changes.
A minority of patients experience lingering symptoms after infection with SARS-CoV-2, similar to some other previously known post-infection syndromes. Although we are just beginning to understand the different presentations, pathophysiology, risk factors, prognosis and treatment of long COVID, rheumatologists can play a leadership role in managing patients with the illness and contributing to this important research…
Research has demonstrated that exercise-based physical therapy is as effective at maintaining knee function as surgery in patients with degenerative meniscal tears at risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
I have been reading Yuval Harari’s thought-provoking and engaging book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, about our species’ struggles and the path that led to our emergence as the predominant species. I was captivated by the drawing of the hand of one of our ancestors and mused about what that forebear was thinking as…
A plain X-ray film appeared on the computer screen—a humerus, a radius and an ulna were all visible. My pupils zoomed around the screen, and on initial inspection, everything looked fine. However, this X-ray was unlike any film I had ever reviewed. You see, it was for my then 4-year-old puppy, Lexi. My sweet little…
Rheumatologists are often called upon to see patients with unexplained symptoms and mysterious illnesses and to manage disease, sometimes with a dearth of evidence. Patients in rheumatology practices also tend to explore treatment modalities outside of the established medical model, sometimes referred to as fringe medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine practices that comprise fringe medicine…
In late December, the FDA approved subcutaneous abaloparatide for the treatment of men with osteoporosis at a high risk of fracture. This approval is based on a placebo-controlled study that showed abaloparatide led to significant increases in bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck. Abaloparatide was approved in April 2017 for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture.
Systemic autoinflammatory diseases (SAIDs) are rare syndromes characterized by alterations in innate immunity that result in a variety of clinical manifestations that are usually associated with recurrent fevers.1 Thanks to advances in genetic sequencing over the past few years, monogenic causes for some of these autoinflammatory diseases, such as Yao syndrome, have been discovered.2 Previously…
The second annual Global Rheumatology Summit focused on climate change, conflict and migration, as well as other global issues in rheumatology.
The FDA is investigating the risk of severe hypocalcemia with serious outcomes, such as hospitalization and death, in patients on dialysis taking denosumab.