A 56-year-old African American man presents to the emergency department with polyarthralgias and a fever of 103ºF. One month prior to admission, he presented with right knee pain and swelling. Blood cultures grew S. epidermidis. He was treated for presumed septic arthritis complicated by MSSE bacteremia. He was treated with meropenem and a prolonged course…
Case A 46-year-old Caucasian female presented to the outpatient rheumatology clinic where she had been followed for several years. Her chief complaint was pain in her right knee, posterior right thigh and right hip that had begun gradually over the previous three weeks. Her past medical history was significant for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), obesity and…
A 13-year-old black male, described by his mother as a very active and energetic child, is referred to a pediatric rheumatologist. His chief complaint is muscle pain in both legs, which he has experienced for the past three weeks. His mother is a patient of an adult rheumatologist at this clinic and is quite concerned….
(Reuters Health)—Women with weaker thigh muscles may be more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis, a recent study suggests. Women with lower knee extensor strength were 47 percent more likely to develop knee arthritis than women who had stronger knee extensors, the study found. Weakness in the knee flexor muscles was associated with 41 percent greater…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Members of the military and firefighters are at increased risk of osteoarthritis (OA), a new systematic review shows. “Osteoarthritis is more common in people who are tactical athletes, people who are firefighters and military service members, than it is in the general population,” Dr. Kenneth Cameron of Keller Army Hospital in West…
A recent observational study found a link between high-intensity statin therapy and a 23% reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Although further research is needed, researchers note this study “provides robust evidence of a protective effect of high-intensity statins on the risk of RA.”
Wash your hands. This most basic tenet of proper hygiene has been drummed into our heads for years. It’s an obvious infection prevention activity, yet for years, compliance among physicians and other caregivers has been lackluster. To rectify this matter, regulatory agencies began auditing hospital staff adherence to this axiom of infection prevention. Not only…
Although gout is one of the most effectively treated of all rheumatic diseases, it is among the worst-managed diseases long term, as shown by many studies. “Treatments are excellent, yet are dramatically under-utilized,” says Theodore Fields, MD, FACP, rheumatologist, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York. “This is because some gout patients feel better between…
If you thought the presidential election was a tough choice, imagine selecting this year’s slate of ACR/ARHP award winners. At the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Washington this November, the ACR and the ARHP honored a group of distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to rheumatology research, education and patient care. In this issue,…
(Reuters Health)—Obese people who have weight loss surgeries, such as gastric bypass, are much less likely than those who don’t have surgery to develop gout, a painful type of arthritis, according to a Swedish study. People who chose to get weight loss surgery are also less than half as likely to develop hyperuricemia, too much…