Type I interferon appears to play a role in disease susceptibility and pathogenesis in several classic connective tissue diseases, at least in some patients. Below, I present evidence supporting this connection, explore potential missing links in pathogenesis and discuss biological treatments that target the pathway. The Type I Interferon Pathway Interferons are a class of…
Colombia is a beautiful country with a rich cultural history that has made many social advances over the past decades. I was privileged to spend a month rotating with rheumatologists in San Vicente de Paul Hospital in Medellín, the City of Eternal Spring. As part of the ACR and the Pan American League of Rheumatology…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Dozens of rheumatology leaders met with more than 100 politicos on Capitol Hill in mid-May as part of the ACR’s annual Advocacy Leadership Conference. Armed with research and advocacy training concerning a handful of important issues, rheumatologists, rheumatology interprofessional team members, government affairs specialists and others met with federal lawmakers, legislative aides and correspondents….
A 52-year-old man living in greater Boston with a history of hypertension presented at our rheumatology clinic with bilateral knee pain and swelling. He had been in his usual state of health until four months earlier when he developed right knee pain and swelling without an incipient trauma, which did not improve with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory…
A five-year study in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis-associated uveitis found drug-induced disease remission did not persist once adalimumab was stopped after long-term treatment.
A number of bills have been introduced in the 116th Congress to mitigate the impact of treatment and drug costs on U.S. patients. The ACR has reviewed the bills and supports those that most closely align with its positions on access to care.
The phase 3, RA-BEAM study found RA patients who were switched from adalimumab to baricitinib experienced improvements in disease control even in the absence of an adalimumab washout. In the study, the change was not associated with an increase in adverse events or infections…
So far it has been a busy year for the Affiliate Society Council (ASC). Forty-three states are now affiliated with the ACR through the ASC, and we may add another next year. Also, many state legislative sessions have wrapped up, so it’s a great time to provide an overview of the successes—and some of the…
In April 2019, the Rheumatology Association of Nevada (RAN) hosted its fourth annual meeting. “We had the largest-ever number of attendees,” says RAN President Tim Kelly, MD, a rheumatologist in Las Vegas. Launched in 2016, RAN continues to grow, and Dr. Kelly hopes to see the statewide organization do more. “We want to expand our…
I have worked as an advanced practice provider (APP) in pediatric rheumatology for nearly 16 years. My collaborating physicians have allowed me to function to the full extent of my scope of practice while allowing me to develop professionally within the subspecialty. My latest endeavor has been learning how to perform musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and…