SAN DIEGO—It’s no secret: Autoimmune, inflammatory rheumatic disease raises a patient’s risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). “Inflammation may affect all aspects of the cardiac structure and function,” said Rekha Mankad, MD, FACC, director of the Women’s Heart Clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Mankad also oversees a cardio-rheumatology clinic to assess and treat…
Although two decades have ticked by, rheumatologist Michael Lockshin, MD, MACR, still remembers the enlightening nature of many conversations he had with his curious and persistent patient Barbara Volcker, the wife of former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker. “The conversations we had at that time led to the mission of the Barbara Volcker Center,”…
Education is a vital component of what the ACR provides to rheumatology professionals around the world, and the ACR’s commitment to continually expand options to access the latest science and medical education is critical to all involved in the specialty. This dedication is reflected in the ACR’s new mission, vision and brand promise, all of…
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune-mediated rheumatic disease characterized by multisystem involvement that can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a rare, fulminant, autoimmune-mediated, demyelinating disease involving the white matter of the central nervous system (CNS), and is considered a manifestation of neuropsychiatric lupus. Few reported cases involve SLE and…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Using tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors for atypical dermatoses may unmask, or perhaps even worsen, cutaneous lymphoma, according to new research. “Our findings suggest that careful skin examination might be required in all patients prescribed anti-TNF-alpha agents, especially those with atypical presentations of benign skin conditions,” says Dr. Joan Guitart of…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of serious infections, myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD), an analysis of Medicare claims data suggests. “Higher disease activity as measured by a panel of biomarkers was associated with higher rates of hospitalized infections, MI and CHD events. These findings add…
Preliminary results from an ongoing study show that bimekizumab improves joint and skin symptoms in patients with psoriatic arthritis…
A recent U.K. study assessed the use of the Perrin technique to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome based on five physical signs of disease. Overall, researchers found the accuracy of diagnosis by allied health professionals was highest when using tests for only two signs: tender coelic plexus and postural/mechanical disturbances of the thoracic spine…
Post-market clinical safety trials have indicated that medications containing both long-acting beta agonists (LABAs) and inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) do not result in more serious asthma-related outcomes than treatment with ICSs alone…
(Reuters Health)—People who undergo joint surgery, such as joint replacements for arthritis, are more likely to become dependent in the years following surgery if they are obese, researchers say. Further research is needed to know why this happens and how to prevent it, the study team writes in British Journal of Anaesthesia.1 “I think there’s…