Despite our best efforts and modern interventions, we still have patients in the intensive care unit with organ failure. Although renal failure can be mitigated by dialysis, patients with cardiac or respiratory failure secondary to active autoimmune disease raise difficult clinical and ethical issues. Two recent cases, both with organ failure, led us to examine…
SAN DIEGO—In a presentation on what rheumatology nurses should know in their daily practice about disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting Nov. 3–8, Jessica Farrell, PharmD, highlighted the importance of educating and counseling patients about the range of treatments and applications for rheumatologic conditions. Dr. Farrell, a clinical pharmacist at the…
SAN DIEGO—Since the identification of the autoinflammatory disease, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), researchers have identified an alphabet soup of other autoinflammatory diseases with genetic underpinnings, from PAPA (pyogenic arthritis with pyoderma gangrenosum and acne) to NIAID (NLRP1-associated autoinflammation with arthritis and dyskeratosis) to TRAPS (TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome). The torrent of discoveries, brought about largely…
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can present in many ways and can be difficult to diagnose. Its association with celiac sprue has been only rarely documented, but has appeared in several case reports. When presenting together, it can be difficult to distinguish the underlying disease, because SLE itself has been known to cause malabsorption. This case…
Hundreds of rheumatology providers across the country are finalizing submissions for the first year of reporting under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). According to a presentation at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, providers that participate in and submit through the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) Registry are poised to perform…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Children’s electronic health records (EHRs) are missing functions “essential” for managing children’s health, according to a multistakeholder work group that produced a “high-priority” list of EHR requirements. “Most doctors caring for children in hospitals or office practices now use EHRs, which benefit children and families by offering decision-support and other safety features…
I spent the summer between my first and second years of medical school rotating in medical weight-management clinics, boastful that I would someday be an adult gastroenterologist. I first met Melissa Mannion, MD, in the pediatric clinic; at the time, she was a second-year pediatric resident and always wore cool pants. Born a chatterbox, I…
With the support of its membership, the ACR publishes clinical practice guidelines in multiple disease areas based on the best available clinical and scientific data. These aim to support health professionals treating rheumatology patients to give the best possible care. Like any set of medical guidelines, ACR guidelines are based on evidence of several different…
When Marc McClintock first began experiencing back pain, he chalked it up to the rigors of his racing career. For more than 36 years, Mr. McClintock has built and raced stock cars, high-powered race vehicles that compete on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. “I live in a commercial building, with my residence on…
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…