In rural America, where rheumatology offices are fewer and farther between, the expansion of telemedicine has been a boon during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, lab closures and reduced hospital services have made monitoring patients’ medications more challenging.
Some aspects of community practice are normalizing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the financial fallout and the need for increased safety precautions remain challenging.
With his clinic resuming in-person visits, Jay Mehta, MD, says his patients and staff have proved remarkably adaptable, embracing telemedicine during the early days of the pandemic and now facemasks during appointments.
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—This has been a busy year for research publications covering a number of pediatric rheumatic diseases, including the emerging multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) associated with SARS CoV-2. Despite the many challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, a healthy collection of publications covering a wide range of pediatric rheumatology research topics were published…
COVID-19 isn’t the only viral infection on the rise across the globe, so is chikungunya, which can cause arthritis-like symptoms and may lead to long-term joint pain.
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Among the many ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of modern medicine is the emergence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a rare but serious condition that shares many features of Kawasaki disease (KD). With this topic in mind, leading pediatric experts from around the world came together…
The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted rheumatology clinics and practices all over the world. In the U.S., many providers have used telemedicine to expand access to care for their patients while managing in-person visits. Brett Smith, DO, who practices at the Blount Memorial Physicians Group, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Knoxville, spoke with The Rheumatologist about…
Pandemic fatigue is affecting rheumatologists and their patients in different ways, says Nilanjana Bose, MD, MBA. But efforts are being made at her clinic to stay positive and ensure quality patient care.
Serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies may play a critical role in the management of the worldwide health crisis. Such testing may reveal key information for epidemiology, convalescent plasma therapies and vaccine development. However, the situation is complex, and much is unknown. Although such testing may ultimately be used to…
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening disease of immune dysregulation characterized by unchecked inflammatory responses leading to end-organ dysfunction. Primary HLH results from inherited mutations that impair the capacity for immune regulation; secondary HLH arises from the inappropriate response to an immune stimulus, such as infection, malignancy or autoimmunity. What is less well known is…