CHICAGO—Medications have frequently been implicated as a cause of musculoskeletal complaints, including persistent arthralgias, arthritis and myalgias.1 The list of offending agents is diverse, and the degree of symptoms is variable. In the world of transplant recipients, this list is exhaustive and includes immunosuppressive agents (cyclosporine, tacrolimus); myeloid growth factors, such as G-CSF; antibiotics (quinolones);…
WASHINGTON/ST. GEORGE, S.C.—After launching his 2020 presidential bid last week, John Hickenlooper took a different stance on establishing a “Medicare-for-all” government health insurance program than many of his Democratic competitors. “I probably would oppose Medicare-for-all just because there are over 150 million people, Americans who have some form of private insurance through their business, and…
A 60-year-old man returns for a follow-up related to his diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis and chronic gout of his right ankle and foot, without tophi. He reports the gout flares have subsided in his ankle. He takes 450 mg of allopurinol daily. He has rheumatoid factor-positive rheumatoid arthritis, which previously affected multiple sites, without organ…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Chief Scott Gottlieb said he plans to step down in a month, calling into question how the agency will handle critical issues, such as e-cigarette use among teens and efforts to increase competition in prescription drugs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the…
As a physician, I am an advocate. I am an advocate for my patients individually and collectively, and I am an advocate for my field: pediatric rheumatology. My own experiences as a patient drive me to integrate my patients’ perspectives into my medical decision making, and although my academic training has prepared me to best…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled an ambitious proposal to move all Americans into the government’s Medicare health insurance program, tapping into public frustration over the rising cost of healthcare that has become a key issue for the party as it seeks to gain control of Congress and the White House in…
Join us for the Rheumatology Documentation and Coding Workshop taking place during the 2019 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Friday, April 5 in Chicago. The Rheumatology Documentation and Coding Workshop will take a deep dive into the new Medicare coding and documentation requirements for evaluation and management coding, medical decision making and specificity in diagnosis coding. Due…
In a study, researchers found extracellular vesicles may contribute to the greater disease severity typically seen in patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Specifically, in these patients, extracellular vesicles can activate mononuclear phagocytes and induce proinflammatory cytokines in vitro…
CHICAGO—Every minute, it seems, a new digital tool is introduced in medicine. Whether it’s a new digital measuring stick, a new data-crunching system or a new app, the tech tools form an endless convoy of options. But are they worth it? Will they really help you do your job better? Will they help patients feel…
CHICAGO—Once methotrexate enters a cell through the reduced folate carrier (RFC), which thinks it is picking up folate, the drug is polyglutamated. It is this polyglutamate methotrexate that provides the actual clinical effect. These methotrexate polyglutamate “species” are added and lost over time, but it’s a slow process. What difference does it make whether a…