ATLANTA—As many rheumatologists will recall, it was not too long ago that psoriatic arthritis was regarded somewhat like “rheumatoid arthritis with a rash,” with little attention paid to the ways in which the unique pathophysiology and manifestations of this entity make it distinct from other forms of inflammatory arthritis. At the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting…
ATLANTA—The authors of the new draft ACR treatment guideline for the management of gout presented the draft guideline on Nov. 13 at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting. Based on evidence from more than 130 published studies, there are 42 recommendations, of which 16 were strong, including 27 for urate-lowering therapy (ULT) management, 13 of which…
ATLANTA—Encouraging data on interleukin (IL) 23/IL-17 pathway drugs in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and new evidence on physical activity and bone health in women were among the highlights of the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting’s Clinical Year in Review. Susan Manzi, MD, MPH, director of the Lupus Center for Excellence…
Patients with meniscal tear experience similar levels of reduced pain and improved physical function when treated with either arthroscopic partial meniscectomy or physical therapy, according to a recent study. The study also found these improvements were long term—lasting through the five-year follow up…
Recognizing that situations involving ties with the pharmaceutical industry and conflicts of interest are often not black and white, the ACR’s Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest has collected feedback on four ethically challenging scenarios to gauge how rheumatology providers think about them. The survey generated responses that were often mixed, showing that when…
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) or programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) axes have revolutionized therapy and improved survival in advanced cancers. However, these immune system modulators also lead to immune-related adverse events (IRAEs).1,2 In clinical trials, IRAEs mainly involved the gastrointestinal tract, skin, endocrine glands, liver and lung,…
Case Presentation A 45-year-old man with crystal-proven gout, poorly controlled diabetes and chronic kidney disease was lost to follow-up for six years and presented back to the VA clinic in the midst of a gout flare. He stated he had continued taking 100 mg of allopurinol daily, but his serum urate level was 13.8 mg/dL….
ATLANTA—At the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting 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 speaks with the winners of the ARP Merit Awards about their individual contributions to advancing rheumatology. You’ll also find a…
A farewell message from outgoing Government Affairs Committee Chair Angus Worthing urges ACR/ARP members to advocate for the rheumatology profession.
The new EULAR/ACR classification criteria for SLE offer improved sensitivity and specificity, as well as more accurately reflect the current tests used to clinically diagnose SLE. A positive ANA test is obligatory…