AMSTERDAM—Newly proposed systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) classification criteria and new findings on SLE pathogenesis are two ways in which researchers and clinicians are getting a better grasp on the heterogeneous disease. The criteria and findings were discussed this June in a session at EULAR: the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. ‘Paradigm Shift’ Sindhu Johnson, MD,…
AMSTERDAM—Low-grade inflammation in older adults can impede immune responsiveness, and researchers have shed light on how this happens. They have developed a short-term treatment that blocks inflammation and boosts the immune response, an expert said at EULAR: the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. The findings were presented in a session on cellular senescence related to…
AMSTERDAM—Early identification and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are two of the most pressing concerns in the field, an expert said at EULAR: the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. He described the latest efforts to identify patients at risk of RA development and insights on quick referral to rheumatologists. Karim Raza, BM, BCh, PhD, Arthritis…
Sir William Osler, the father of modern medicine, said “the desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature that separates man from animal.” Determination of the benefit of a medication can be challenging and includes a number of factors, such as pharmacologic activities on the disease pathophysiology, pharmacokinetic properties and patient characteristics.1,2 An additional,…
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are at the forefront of advances in cancer therapy and have shown promising results for progression-free survival. Checkpoint signaling pathways, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), normally regulate the immune response to promote self-tolerance and prevent tissue damage and inflammation. PD-1 is a…
Studies highlighting the large numbers of people affected by knee osteoarthritis (OA) point to what clinicians who treat knee OA have been seeing for the past few decades: a substantial increase in the prevalence of knee OA in the U.S. and globally. Roughly 250 million people are affected by knee OA worldwide, and about 14…
A 36-year-old woman presented at the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center for a second opinion regarding a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). One year prior to our evaluation, she had developed pain and stiffness in her hands, feet, knees, ankles, elbows and shoulders. She had mild plaque psoriasis of the scalp and base of the neck,…
As a first-year internal medicine resident, I find myself consulting rheumatologists for just about every mystery patient in our hospital. Like many residents, I was initially intimidated by the complexity of this elusive field. At first glance, diagnosis and management seem completely inaccessible to a first-year resident. But several rheumatology consults later, I can confidently…
As rheumatology professionals, we focus on how to achieve better outcomes for our patients: lower disease activity, remission, milder symptoms and prevention of joint damage or serious complications, such as heart disease. Another outcome is just as important: good quality of life. What can we do to engage our current patients and those at risk…
Chikungunya is among a group of 16 diseases transmitted through mosquito, tick or flea bites that is of increasing public health concern in the U.S. Although few rheumatologists are likely to diagnose patients with the acute phase of the disease, they may encounter a handful of patients each year who complain of persistent, and often…