Vasculitis and Giant Cell Arteritis News

Patients with IgA vasculitis, also known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, are at an increased risk for hypertension and chronic kidney disease compared to those without the condition, according to recent findings in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

In this episode, John Stone, MD, MPH, director of clinical rheumatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, sits down to discuss his approach to giant cell arteritis and the results of the GiACTA trial. Learn why Stone believes the most important diagnostic test in GCA is the patient’s history.

Juvenile inflammatory brain disease is associated with significantly reduced health-related quality of life, according to data published in Pediatric Rheumatology.

The FDA has approved ACTPen, a single-dose prefilled autoinjector of tocilizumab, for the treatment of adult patients with moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis who failed to respond to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, and for adult patients with giant cell arteritis, according to a company press release.

Researchers found that the most prevalent adverse effect linked to immune checkpoint inhibitors was inflammatory arthritis, and although most patients received long courses of immune suppression, few required checkpoint inhibitor discontinuation, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

In this ACR interview, the walking encyclopedia of medical history, Eric L. Matteson, MD, of The Mayo Clinic, sits down with me to discuss what excites him about medical history and then takes a deep dive into the history of vasculitis! 

CHICAGO — Advanced vascular imaging is expected to play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and management of large-vessel vasculitis, according to a draft of the American College of Rheumatology/EULAR classification criteria for the condition.

CHICAGO — Apremilast is effective for the treatment of oral ulcers, and generally well tolerated, among patients with Behçet’s Syndrome, according to data presented at the ACR/ARHP 2018 Annual Meeting.

I always look forward to the ACR yearly review course for an engaging way to get updates on various topics in the field of rheumatology. It’s also a way to reminisce what it’s like to be a high primary school student again and makes you wonder how you were ever able to sit in the same seat all day long, day after day!

CHICAGO — Plasma exchange does not reduce the risk for end-stage renal disease or mortality among patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis, according to data presented by Peter A. Merkel, MD, MPH, of the University of Pennsylvania.