Rheumatic And Autoimmune Diseases
Hooked on Rheum with S. Louis Bridges, MD, PhD
As a college student, I met a young woman, a member of my church, with severe, deforming rheumatoid arthritis. Despite her severe pain and difficulty with daily activities, she had an amazing attitude and provided inspiration for me to want to help people with chronic medical conditions.
EULAR: Imaging favored over palpation for guiding procedures at joints, nerves
Imaging should be the preferred choice over palpation in guiding targeted procedures and injections at peripheral and sacroiliac joints, and at structures encompassing peripheral nerves, according to new EULAR “points to consider.”
FDA authorizes AstraZeneca antibody cocktail for pre-exposure prevention of COVID-19
The FDA has for the first time approved an emergency use authorization for a long-acting monoclonal antibody cocktail designed to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 among adults and children aged 12 years and older.
Hooked on Rheum with Jinoos Yazdany, MD, MPH
Rheumatology has been a lifelong love for me. When I was a small child, my parents were working and asked my aunt to care for me during the day. My aunt did not have kids of her own and showered me with love and attention. But I also watched her struggle with rheumatoid arthritis, which progressively made it harder for her to do her activities of daily living.
DMARD interruptions in rheumatic disease persist despite reduced COVID-related anxiety
Despite a significant decrease in anxiety related to COVID-19, patients with autoimmune rheumatic disease continue to experience frequent interruptions in their medication use, according to survey data presented at ACR Convergence 2021.
Hydroxychloroquine prescribers 'should be vigilant' for potential cardiac toxicity
Rheumatologists who prescribe hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine should be aware of their potential cardiac toxicity, especially in high-risk patients with rheumatic disease, according to an American College of Rheumatology white paper.
Booster augments COVID-19 vaccine response in patients on rituximab despite prior failures
A booster dose of both vector and mRNA vaccine products yielded improved immune response in immunosuppressed patients using rituximab who had previously failed to show a response to the first two vaccines, according to data presented here.
More than half of patients with rheumatic disease, COVID-19 report 'long-haul' symptoms
COVID-19 symptoms persisted for at least 1 month in nearly 56% of patients with rheumatic disease who contracted COVID-19, according to survey data presented at ACR Convergence 2021.
Reducing, stopping hydroxychloroquine spikes flare risk for lupus patients in remission
Hydroxychloroquine maintenance, compared with reducing or discontinuing, is associated with a lower risk for flare among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in remission or very low disease activity, according to data presented here.
Systemic autoimmune disease does not affect overall survival in lung transplant
Data presented at ACR Convergence 2021 support the use of life-saving lung transplantation among qualified patients with systemic autoimmune diseases.