In late February 2011, a 68-year-old woman visited the rheumatology outpatient clinic. She had been congenitally healthy and had been a field athlete in her early days. Beginning in early January 2011, she became aware of pain in her neck and both shoulders, with pain spreading to her lower back and thighs. She also became…
CHICAGO—David Daikh, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco and chief of the Rheumatology Division at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, said the overlap between malignant disease and rheumatic disease means rheumatologists should stay aware that more may be going on than just a rheumatic disorder. He made his…
CHICAGO—A 49-year-old woman has had RA for eight years. She has a rheumatoid factor reading of 35, an aCCP reading of 160, erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 42, plus erosions. She has been on methotrexate. She tried etanercept for six months, but then it stopped working. She was on 40 mg of adalimumab weekly, but it…
CHICAGO—With the approval of the Jak inhibitors (i.e., jakinibs) tofacitinib and ruxolitinib—and others being investigated—rheumatologists need to arm themselves with an understanding of these drugs so they can think critically when evaluating them and deciding how to use them, said John O’Shea, MD, chief of the Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch of and scientific director…
Coding for SI Injections with Office Visit A female patient previously diagnosed with sacroiliitis and ankylosing spondylitis returns to the office for a follow-up visit. The patient reports her lower back has been stiff and swollen for the past couple of weeks. She is currently on celecoxib and ranitidine, and mentions that she had some…
On July 1, 2015, the Rheumatology Research Foundation awarded more than 80 grants to a wide range of rheumatology trainees and professionals. The recipients, who submitted applications in 2014, will receive funding for essential education and training, as well as innovative research projects. Their applications were closely examined by experts in different areas of the…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Inspiratory muscle training can help improve aerobic capacity and pulmonary function in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to new findings presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress. “Inspiratory muscle training as a stand-alone therapy improves inspiratory muscle function (strength and endurance), decreases symptoms of dyspnea and improves exercise capacity,”…
(Reuters Health)—Up to 15% of people with psoriasis have undiagnosed arthritis that’s related to the skin condition, according to a new review. “The important takeaway,” said Dr. Abby Van Voorhees, director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, “would be that further education is needed…
It has been nearly 35 years since the original descriptions of what now is recognized as AIDS (the acquired immune deficiency syndrome), an advanced form of infection secondary to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The epidemic of HIV infection remains the singular most dramatic epidemic of our generation and will likely remain with us for…
Clinical Vignette A 45-year-old woman with long-standing asthma and chronic sinusitis has new-onset peripheral neuropathy, arthralgias, fatigue, progressive dyspnea and a nonproductive cough. She has never smoked and has no environmental exposures. Her medications include an albuterol metered-dose inhaler (which she uses daily); an inhaled corticosteroid, montelukast; and ibuprofen (which she takes occasionally). She is…