Inflammation in the knee was found to be associated with development of pain sensitization in recent research with a cohort from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST). This research finding may indicate that targeting of inflammation could help reduce pain severity in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Tuhina Neogi, MD, PhD, says that her and her colleagues’ research,…
Picket Lines: June 27 was marked on my calendar as the day to watch. No doubt the union organizers shrewdly selected it to be their strike day because of its proximity to July 1, an auspicious date for teaching hospitals, when rookie interns and residents anxiously assume their heightened roles of responsibility within the medical…
When I started my rheumatology practice 40 years ago, it quickly became apparent that many referrals of presumed polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients and presumed giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients were the recipients of devastating side effects from long-term corticosteroid (CS) use that could not be discontinued due to prompt recurrence of inflammatory phenomena. It was…
LONDON—From optimizing responses to methotrexate, to the efficacy of biologics, to the need for imaging in assessing remission, the literature, as ever, has been lively with explorations of pressing topics in the treatment and management of rheumatoid arthritis. Josef Smolen, MD, chair of rheumatology at the Medical University of Vienna, reviewed many of the highlights…
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again. —Mother Goose I feel like a female Humpty Dumpty. Recently I took a great fall, and now I am in the process of being put together again. I was…
A 32-year-old female patient comes in for an initial visit. She is self-referred and complains of pain, numbness and color changes in her fingers when exposed to cold. The patient reports that her right distal index finger, left distal index finger and fourth right finger turn white and blue with pain and numbness when exposed…
Outside Exam Room No. 5, the chart rack was empty, so I assumed my new consult was late. Just in case, I looked back over my shoulder as I passed by the partially open door and glimpsed the lower half of a woman holding a three-ringed binder on her lap. I squinted and took a…
Prior research has found that the use of surgery to treat osteoarthritis is increasing, while more conservative treatments, such as physical therapy, are underused. This disparity drove researchers to examine what influences a patient’s treatment choice. They found that a treatment’s characteristics—including a patient’s expectations for effectiveness and risk—affect decision making. Other influences: personal investment and circumstances, as well as support and advice from social networks and healthcare providers…
SAN FRANCISCO—“We haven’t made a lot of progress in ensuring the early diagnosis of spondyloarthritis,” said Walter Maksymowych, MD, FRCP, professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Alberta and chief medical officer at CaRE (Canadian Research and Education) Arthritis, both in Edmonton. Speaking at the California Rheumatology Alliance 2016 Medical…
Look inside the oral cavity of a patient for answers that go beyond what we perceive as the dentist’s domain. So goes the thinking of medical professionals interested in how oral health and bacteria-driven disease, such as periodontitis, may be linked to rheumatic disease, especially rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Bad bacteria that live in the mouth…