About 30 years ago, early in his career as a rheumatologist, Dirkjan van Schaardenburg, PhD, says patients with osteoarthritis experienced terrible problems with inflammation. The landscape has improved to the point that “people can live with it now,” he says. But they still need help. For example, osteoarthritis affects 7% of the global population, according…
Through a project to reduce gaps and inequities in lupus care and treatment, ACR work groups have developed five quality measures focused on clinical and patient-reported outcomes and are integrating them into the RISE registry to support patient care and research.
A minority of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who were new to rheumatology practice were prescribed steroid-sparing agents through two years of follow-up. This is according to a large, U.S.-based cohort study, published in Arthritis Care & Research, which also found that nearly two-thirds of the patients remained on glucocorticoids beyond one year.1 “Our study…
SAN DIEGO—During ACR Convergence 2023 in November, the ACR and the ARP honored a group of distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to rheumatology research, education and patient care. This month, The Rheumatologist profiles the recipients of the ARP Merit Awards and ARP Master class, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field of rheumatology. The…
SAN DIEGO—Panelists at ACR Convergence 2023 debate the merits of IL-6 inhibitors vs. glucocorticoids for the initial treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).
SAN DIEGO—Differences between psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis highlight the need for the development of imaging modalities, laboratory tests and other biomarkers that are explored and validated specifically for PsA to advance the goal of personalized or precision medicine. In this article, expert David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD, explores the top research in psoriatic arthritis presented at ACR Convergence 2023.
Rheumatology giant Frederick Wolfe, MD, passed away Sept. 5, 2023, in Wichita, Kan. The rheumatology community mourns his loss. Fred was born July 1, 1936, in New York. He graduated from Queens College, N.Y., in 1958, and was a social worker for several years. He earned his medical degree in 1966 from the State University…
Fractures in Patients with SSc By Zsuzsanna McMahan, MD, MHS Why was this study done? To minimize disability due to systemic sclerosis (SSc), it’s important to prevent and manage complications. Many SSc complications and related medications may increase the risk for osteoporosis and fracture. We sought to identify modifiable risk factors for fracture in patients…
My patients ask me almost daily what kind of diet they should be on, or if there are certain supplements they should try. And a growing amount of evidence shows lifestyle and dietary factors may contribute to disease risk and outcomes in rheumatic disease. Thus, rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals are being called upon by patients…
Treat to Target in Gout Monitoring & achievement of target serum urate levels By Jing Li & Gabriela Schmajuk, MD, MS Why was this study done? The ACR’s 2020 guideline for the management of gout recommends using a treat-to-target (T2T) approach to lower serum urate (SU). Using the ACR’s RISE registry, we examined the use…