Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) was first described in the British Medical Journal in 1897 by Scottish otolaryngologist Peter McBride.1 GPA is a relatively rare, systemic necrotizing vasculitis that can make diagnosis challenging. The incidence has been estimated anywhere between two and 12 cases per million.2 GPA mainly affects adults between the ages of 45 and…
Rheumatologists often rely on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the evaluation of suspected muscular diseases. Here, we describe a case in which unexpected findings on MRI pointed to a diagnosis rarely considered as a mimicker of rheumatologic disease. The Case A 19-year-old man of Middle Eastern descent was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of…
Calciphylaxis is a poorly understood and life-threatening ischemic vasculopathy characterized by calcification of the small- and medium-size arteries in the skin, subcutaneous tissue and internal organs, which leads to thrombosis, tissue necrosis and painful skin ulcerations that won’t heal. The disease has a 50–80% mortality rate. Although affected patients typically have end-stage renal disease (ESRD)…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A “biomechanical” analysis of a previously taken pelvic or abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan is at least as accurate in assessing an individual’s hip fracture risk as a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, according to new research. This accuracy of the hip bone mineral density (BMD) T-score as measured by the biomechanical…
New research examined the frequency of osteoporosis screening and treatment for RA patients from 2003–2014, including four years following the release of the 2010 ACR guideline on glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis prevention and treatment. The results: Approximately half of RA patients for whom treatment was indicated never received osteoporosis medication. Researchers also found that RA patients, despite their increased risk for developing osteoporosis, were not more likely to receive osteoporosis care than OA patients…
(Reuters Health)—Eating an overall healthy diet is tied to a lower risk of hip fracture among women over age 50, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers analyzed decades’ worth of dietary and health data for more than 100,000 U.S. men and women. They found that women who scored highest on the American Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI)…
SAN DIEGO—At the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8, experts discussed improving bone health in the U.S., gave tips on bone health disorders in pediatrics and reviewed new translational science findings for joint conservation in early osteonecrosis. E. Michael Lewiecki, MD, director of the New Mexico Clinical Research & Osteoporosis Center in Albuquerque, N.M., called…
SAN DIEGO—At the 2017 Thieves Market, held Nov. 6 at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, rheumatologists from around the world presented patient cases to an audience of colleagues, who then voted via text messaging to choose the cases they felt were most perplexing or intriguing. The winner received a free 2018 Annual Meeting registration, and the…
SAN DIEGO—Top researchers gathered for a review course at the start of the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in November to describe new research, their own treatment strategies and new ways of thinking about an array of rheumatic diseases. Here are the highlights: Raynaud’s & Other Digit Problems When a patient walks into your clinic with…
Anemia is common in patients with systemic rheumatic disease, yet it may not get the attention it deserves. Anemia can result from chronic inflammation, treatment side effects or other disease factors, or it may signal an unrelated condition. Although diagnosis and treatment of anemia are sometimes challenging, clinicians must do their utmost to rigorously investigate…