The large vessel vasculitides were a major focus of the 21st International Vasculitis Workshop held in Barcelona in April. The biennial conference brings together specialists from multiple disciplines, including rheumatology, nephrology and immunology, to discuss cutting-edge vasculitis research. This article reviews important points regarding the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of both giant cell arteritis and…
Dr. Megan Cooper Appointed Director of Pediatric Rheumatology & Immunology Division at WashU Megan A. Cooper, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist recognized internationally for her work in pediatric immunodeficiencies and immune dysregulation, took the reins of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, as director this past fall….
Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) is a diagnosis given to patients who do not fulfill current classification criteria for named connective tissue diseases (CTD)—systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc), or Sjögren’s disease—but who nonetheless have clinical signs and symptoms and serological evidence of autoimmune CTDs. In 1980 LeRoy et al. were…
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a small vessel vasculitis associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (C-ANCA), specifically proteinase 3 (PR3) ANCA. GPA classically presents with multi-organ involvement. The first description of GPA defined a triad of features: 1) systemic necrotizing angiitis, 2) necrotizing inflammation of the respiratory tract and 3) necrotizing glomerulonephritis.1 Few cases of digital…
There’s a Word file—somewhere—on one of the many flash drives jumbled in a drawer in my home office. That file is named something like “Overcoming_Procrastination_Column.docx” and was last accessed in the year 2018. I know I wrote about 500 words, and then, one day, I said I would finish it later. But I never did….
Dr. Laurent Arnaud highlighted the latest information on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), including genetics, technology, treat to target, and promising findings for pulse therapy in his session at EULAR 2024.
For a podcast audience, Dr. Sunil Abraham shared pearls for evaluating what setting best fits you and your lifestyle, and what a career in community practice means.
Although research is still emerging, evidence suggests changes in climate, such as increases in heat, pollution and allergens, may increase the risk of flare and hospitalization in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and other rheumatic conditions. Paul Dellaripa, MD, discussed the research and how rheumatologists can help their patients.
The FDA has granted sarilumab its first pediatric indication, approving the agent to treat active, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) in patients who weigh at least 63 kgs.
The Department of Health & Human Services has released a final rule that would penalize healthcare providers who interfere with a patient’s access to, exchange or use of their electronic health information.