Hepatitis B virus (HBV) associated polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is an increasingly rare vasculitis in developed countries due to advances in HBV vaccination and antiviral therapy. However, the condition does persist, and rheumatologists should consider it when evaluating vasculitis cases. Below, we discuss a case that illustrates the varied clinical presentations PAN can encompass. A high…
I knew I shouldn’t look. I was driving 60 miles per hour, heading north on I-95, trying to get to the George Washington Bridge before dusk. It takes a certain fatalism to drive through New York City if you are not a native. Ninety percent of the drivers sharing the road with you know exactly…
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often experience joint pain due to various etiologies, including crystalline arthropathies, renal osteodystrophy, amyloid arthropathy, erosive osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis and even erosive spondylarthrosis.1 Below, we present a case of crystalline arthropathy in a patient with chronic kidney disease, mistaken for gout. The Case A 29-year-old man was admitted to…
The ACR is known for excellence in rheumatology education—and 2019 will be no exception. This year’s annual meeting offers innovative session formats and user-friendly, interactive approaches to learning…
A 53-year-old man was hospitalized for pericarditis, abdominal lymphadenopathy of unknown origin and non-bloody diarrhea. He was admitted for four days, and then he was discharged home without incident. Two months after his initial presentation, he was readmitted for the evaluation of several new issues, including symmetric arthralgias, hypovolemia with associated electrolyte abnormalities and concurrent…
In a recent study, tanezumab proved safe and effective in the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis…
At the time of total joint arthroplasty, RA disease activity has been shown to better predict postoperative flare than medication management…
Involving pharmacists in the management of chronic diseases benefits patients, says Wendy Ramey, BSPharm, RPh, CSP, a clinical pharmacy specialist in rheumatology at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. She knows this personally. As someone with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Ms. Ramey knows pharmacists can play an important role in patient education and encouraging adherence to medications….
Psoriatic arthritis came to be viewed as a distinct disease entity with specific clinical features, genetics and pathophysiology only gradually. One important historic development in this transition was a 1973 paper written by a pair of researchers out of Leeds, England: John M. Moll, BSc, DM, and Verna Wright, MD, FRCP.1 Here we discuss the…
Over the past few years, biosimilars and other new drugs have been introduced to treat rheumatic illnesses. Some of the conditions we treat have numerous drug option; others have few or only off-label options. This series, “Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance,” provides streamlined information on the administration of biologic, biosimilar and other medications used to…