The cards sat, untouched, in a corner of my desk. In the 1800s, it was common for American saloons to provide patrons with a free meal. Of course, the meal came with a catch: The meals were predictably salt laden and designed to encourage patrons to drink more beer. Hence was born the expression, “There…
According to new research, women with SLE are at the highest risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes during a lupus flare. The data may enable clinicians to use risk stratification and tailored monitoring to counsel SLE patients who are pregnant or considering pregnancy. Researchers also found that maternal age, lupus nephritis and antiphospholipid antibodies may affect pregnancy outcomes…
Session attendees will hear about recent successes from the Government Affairs Committee and learn how to become effective rheumatology advocates.
Funck-Brentano et al. hypothesized that causal associations for osteoarthritis (OA) may differ by site, and they undertook this study to identify causal risk factors of knee, hip and hand OA.
(Reuters Health)—Behavior changes could potentially reduce a large part of the risk for developing gout, a U.S. study suggests. Based on data from more than 14,000 people, researchers calculated how much factors like being overweight, following a diet that isn’t heart healthy, drinking alcohol or taking diuretics contribute to high levels of uric acid—a precursor…
A 32-year-old male patient with rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple joints without rheumatoid factor returns to the office for a follow-up visit with the nurse practitioner (NP). The patient states his overall pain has improved since his previous visit, although he rates the severity of his right shoulder and right wrist pain at a 5 on…
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) associated polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is an increasingly rare vasculitis in developed countries due to advances in HBV vaccination and antiviral therapy. However, the condition does persist, and rheumatologists should consider it when evaluating vasculitis cases. Below, we discuss a case that illustrates the varied clinical presentations PAN can encompass. A high…
A prognostic tool developed to predict survival in patients with various forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is fairly accurate in predicting survival outcomes for many patients with PAH related to systemic sclerosis (SSc-PAH), according to a new study. However, the prognostic accuracy is less reliable for SSc-PAH patients with the highest risk of death….
A 54-year-old African American man arrived at the emergency department with the acute onset of a tender mass on the left side of his neck. It had been getting progressively larger for the preceding two days. History & Examination His history included chronic right hip osteoarthritis with two surgeries performed five years prior. At his…
Recurrent cutaneous eosinophilic vasculitis (RCEV) is a rare autoimmune condition characterized histologically by necrotizing small vessel vasculitis of the skin and almost exclusive eosinophilic infiltration without any systemic involvement.1 Frequently, there is associated peripheral eosinophilia, and a prolonged course of glucocorticoids is required for treatment. To date, only a few RCEV cases have been reported….