The ACR’s May 13 virtual town hall highlighted effective approaches rheumatology providers can take to convince patients to be vaccinated against COVID-19.


The ACR’s May 13 virtual town hall highlighted effective approaches rheumatology providers can take to convince patients to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

When Eric S. Schned, MD, was 19 years old, he spotted a tiny ad in his local newspaper for a concert. As days and weeks passed, the ad grew bigger as bands were added to the lineup. He, his twin brother and two friends decided the concert “looked really cool” and purchased tickets. That may…

Tryphina Adel Mikhail & Mary Bratovich Toth, MD |
In September 2019, a previously healthy, 9-year-old white girl presented to the emergency department following two months of sinusitis and unexplained fever responsive to ibuprofen. She presented with anorexia; a 9Â lb. weight loss; intermittent, nonbilious, nonbloody emesis; and occasional epistaxis with digital manipulation of the nose. Six weeks prior to admission, she had presented to…

Rebecca Lindsey Weiner, DO, & Ann K. Rosenthal, MD, FACP |
Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis in adults, and it typically occurs in men over the age of 50. When gout presents in younger patients or in women, this should warrant consideration of secondary causes. We describe an unusual genetic cause of tophaceous gout in a young, premenopausal woman. Case Report In…

Over the past 18 months, the ACR’s Quality of Care (QOC) Committee has helped produce an impressive number of resources that will help rheumatologists deliver the best possible care. Working through specific projects supervised under its Criteria, Guideline, Guidance, and Quality Measure subcommittees, the QOC Committee has developed new sets of disease criteria, clinical guidelines,…

In early June, the ACR released an updated guideline on the management of rheumatoid arthritis, which includes new recommendations for specific high-risk groups.1 The guideline includes 44 recommendations—seven of which are strong and 37 conditional. It underscores the role of methotrexate as a cornerstone therapy and emphasizes minimizing glucocorticoids, when possible. Guideline Development Process At…

When rheumatologists think about rheumatoid arthritis (RA), they are apt to picture the synovium, contemplate such antibodies as rheumatoid factor and those to citrullinated proteins, and consider how this interplay of factors manifests in disease. What is not as commonly discussed is the role the autonomic nervous system plays in the pathogenesis and symptomatology of…

Anusha Vuppala, MD, & Sarwat Umer, MD |
Juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is a childhood form of inflammatory myopathy affecting children younger than 18 years. The diagnosis of JDM is based on characteristic clinical features of proximal muscle weakness, skin rash, elevated muscle enzymes, magnetic resonance imaging and muscle biopsy.1 Autoantibodies seen in patients with inflammatory myopathy are not only associated with particular phenotypes…

Elizabeth (Blair) Solow, MD |
Beginning in the late 1800s, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, U.S. diplomat and writer, spent 24 years advocating for sakura, or Japanese cherry trees, to be planted in Washington, D.C. After unsuccessfully petitioning every U.S. Army Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds for over two decades, she wrote a letter to First Lady Helen Herron Taft about…

David R. Karp, MD, PhD, & Christine Stamatos, DNP, ANP-C |
One thing that became clear very quickly this past year was that the COVID-19 pandemic would change the way we deliver care to patients. What has not changed amid an evolving healthcare landscape is our driving focus to ensure our patients’ access to rheumatology care and the availability of state-of-the-art treatments. We know you share…