We are honored to announce that The Rheumatologist has received two Awards of Excellence from APEX 2023 for content published in calendar year 2022: an Award of Excellence in the category of Public Health Concerns—Health & Medical for the editorial supplement to the April issue, COVID-19: What We Know, and an Award of Excellence for…
NEW ORLEANS—The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the interplay of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the immune systems of infected patients. Acute autoimmune manifestations of COVID-19, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) and myocarditis, clearly exist. A session at the 2023 Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium, Autoantibodies in COVID-19 explored this topic in detail, including a…
Do you remember where you were when the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) was declared on Jan. 31, 2020? While it may seem like yesterday, you would be forgiven for not recalling your exact location over three years ago during what felt like an incredible whirlwind for the healthcare industry. One possible location you may…
The public health emergency (PHE), in place since 2020, officially expired at midnight on May 11. The PHE declaration allowed significant flexibility in the healthcare system. The end of the PHE impacts several policies, including changes in Medicare and Medicaid policies. What do these changes mean for providers?
As COVID-19 case counts fade from the headlines and people return to their pre-pandemic routines, rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals may be wondering what “the end” of COVID-19 is going to look like for them. Much of that answer lies in the status of the federal emergencies that have been declared in response to COVID-19. These…
The ACR is compiling a list of healthcare policy changes relevant to rheumatology providers and patients that will take effect when the public health emergency expires on May 11.
On Feb. 3, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) revised its Letters of Authorization for two emergency use authorizations (EUAs), Paxlovid and Lagevrio, to remove the requirement for positive test results to prescribe these drugs. The agency continues to recommend that providers use direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing to help diagnose COVID-19. The FDA recognizes…
Although a less central focus than it was three years ago, rheumatologists must still consider the prevention and management of SARS-CoV-2 in their patients. The following update shares ongoing considerations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes At the beginning of the pandemic, it was unclear whether patients with rheumatic disease would be at higher risk…
A minority of patients experience lingering symptoms after infection with SARS-CoV-2, similar to some other previously known post-infection syndromes. Although we are just beginning to understand the different presentations, pathophysiology, risk factors, prognosis and treatment of long COVID, rheumatologists can play a leadership role in managing patients with the illness and contributing to this important research…
COVID-19 causes myriad cardiac dysfunctions, ranging from mild to fulminant disease, including myocarditis, acute congestive heart failure, cardiogenic shock and sudden cardiac death.1,2 COVID-19 myocarditis can mimic cardiac sarcoidosis clinically and on cardiac imaging, which can lead to diagnostic challenges and treatment delays. We present a case of cardiac sarcoidosis with interval development of metabolic…