The COVID-19 pandemic has filled hospitals with patients with rapidly progressive respiratory failure and diffuse bilateral opacities on chest X-ray.1 Additionally, many patients with severe COVID-19 develop acute kidney injury and require dialysis.2 Pulmonary-renal syndromes are also important to consider in this setting. Although alveolar hemorrhage is a cardinal feature of this syndrome, many patients…
During the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in Washington, D.C., we were asked to evaluate a 14-year-old boy admitted to the pediatric hospitalist service. He had been healthy until two weeks before, when he noted a sore throat, and soon after he developed fevers and rashes without congestion, shortness of breath, conjunctivitis or swollen lymph…
Findings support the continued use of TNF inhibitor monotherapy in individuals with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. In the study, these patients had a lower risk of hospitalization or death caused by COVID-19 than patients on other commonly prescribed treatment regimens
Background & objectives: Patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) may be at an increased risk of SARS-CO-V2 infection as a result of underlying disease, associated comorbidities and use of potentially immunosuppressive treatments. Further, concern exists regarding whether individuals with rheumatic diseases potentially experience more severe COVID-19 and poorer outcomes. This study was undertaken to…
COVID-19 vaccinations are safe for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with manageable side effects and a low incidence of flare, according to a recently published study in The Lancet.1 The use of mRNA vaccines, such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which have been viewed as riskier than traditional vaccines because of a concern…
Practices that received Provider Relief Funds between April 10–June 30, 2020, and did not file a report may request to submit a late report and avoid having funds recouped.
On Feb. 2, 2022, the ACR released a revised version of its COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance Summary (version 5, revised). A full paper was originally published online in Arthritis & Rheumatology (A&R) on March 17, 2021, and version 5 has been submitted to A&R for publication. Updates include: Recommendations differentiating supplemental and booster doses, including…
He just didn’t get it. I love my mechanic. After many years of taking my car to mechanics who took my money without explaining what they were doing with it, I finally found someone who loved to teach. Whenever I bring my car to his shop, class is in session. He gestures for me to…
A 2021 study demonstrated the prevalence of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in vaccinated healthcare workers, underlining the need for booster shots for this at-risk population.
COVID-19 vaccination, treatments for rheumatic disease and more—the Late-Breaking Abstracts session of ACR Convergence 2021 highlighted six studies with implications for rheumatology.