Shrinking lung syndrome (SLS) is a rare cause of dyspnea that has been most commonly described in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but is also found in systemic sclerosis, Sjögren’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Shrinking lung syndrome is characterized by a restrictive pattern on lung spirometry, despite normal lung parenchyma, and an elevated diaphragm.1…
Most Sunday mornings, I make myself an exceptional cup of pour-over coffee and sit down on my deck with the latest issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. I check out the image of the week. I read the case report with pen in hand, racing to diagnose the patient before the authors spill…
Kidney involvement is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Collectively termed lupus nephritis, SLE with kidney involvement comes in many subtypes. The current classification by the International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS), however, does not include lupus podocytopathy, which, through various clinical and epidemiologic studies, has recently been…
On May 23, Drs. Chris Phillips and Rebecca Shepherd, chairs of the ACR’s Committee on Rheumatologic Care and Insurance Subcommittee, respectively, and members of the ACR’s advocacy staff team met with officials from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to discuss concerns on underwater biosimilars and restrictions on billing G2211.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. The ACR Committee on Rheumatologic Care offers members an updated slate of template letters to help appeal insurance denials for common off-label rheumatology treatments.
For the 2023 Image Competition, the ACR sought images representing a diverse range of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) or IIM mimics. Unilateral Heliotrope Rash in Anti-MDA-5 Antibody Dermatomyositis These images depict a 36-year-old patient with arthralgias, dyspnea and a unilateral heliotrope rash (image A). A unilateral heliotrope rash is a distinctive, but rare,…
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, confusion and concern for immunosuppressed patients grew among rheumatologists and patients alike. Research has helped bridge the knowledge gap, and treatment options for COVID-19 have helped ease concerns.
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…
Georg Schett, MD, presented the latest research into CAR T cell therapy for rheumatic diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus & other conditions. These findings demonstrate remarkable and durable efficacy for the treatment, as well as the potential for disease remission in some patients.
SAN DIEGO—The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) is a public-private collaboration involving the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), multiple biopharmaceutical and life science companies, and nonprofit organizations, all joined together with the goal of transforming diagnosis and treatments for a multitude of diseases. One such condition that has been…