A 60-year-old Black woman with a history of stage 3 chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension presented with a 12-month history of asymmetric polyarthritis of the wrists, metacarpophalangeal (MCP), proximal interphalangeal (PIP), metatarsophalangeal (MTP) and knee joints. The review of systems was unremarkable. She denied oral ulcers, rashes, alopecia, or a history of…
Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a necrotizing vasculitis, predominantly involving medium-sized arteries, that causes systemic disease, and, less commonly, cutaneous-limited disease. The population prevalence for PAN ranges from 2 to 33 per million.1-3 Estimates vary due to the increased recognition and classification of other forms of vasculitides over time and variation in the regional prevalence of…
The mission of the Rheumatology Research Foundation, a division of the ACR, is to advance research and training to improve the health of patients living with rheumatic disease. It supports career advancement, mentorship, professional development and education of professionals working in the disciplines essential to these patients.1 “The Foundation understands that the support of Association…
Similar patterns of inflammation occur in the joints of patients with inflammatory arthritis, but in each individual, arthritis affects only a subset of possible anatomic areas. Chang et al. set out to identify patient-specific anatomic patterns of joint flare to distinguish local from systemic drivers of chronic disease.
The 2017 recommendations are updated to reflect changes in medical literature, as well as to include newly approved drugs.
From the first substantial argument in the 19th century that uric acid played a role in gout, it took about 100 years for the medical community to accept its role in triggering acute inflammatory gout attacks. Two papers, both published in 1962, helped demonstrate the link between uric acid and acute gout attacks, quickly opening…
Calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition disease (CPPD) is an arthritis caused by the accumulation of calcium pyrophosphate crystals. Despite a prevalence of 4–7% among the adult population in Europe and the U.S., it has remained a relatively under-recognized disease owing to its many clinical presentations.1 CPPD may cause an acute mono/oligoarthritis, which may mimic gout or…
Saddle Nose & Cauliflower Ear Deformities in Relapsing Polychondritis These images depict a 32-year-old man who presented with five weeks of left-sided hearing loss, weight loss and discomfort in the nose, ear, chest wall and knee. He had an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 120 mm/hr, and a C-reactive protein level of 225.4 mg/L. The…
This EULAR 2022 session discussed the increasing role of imaging in the diagnosis of gout.
Teaching junior learners, such as medical students and residents, is increasingly important in rheumatology. Given the anticipated shortage of rheumatologists, attracting more trainees to our field and enhancing knowledge of the rheumatic diseases among physicians in other fields are critical to meeting the needs of our patients.1,2 In addition, clinical reasoning is a vital skill…