Search

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that may have articular and extra-articular manifestations. Management can be achieved through nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic means. Pharmacologic therapy traditionally consists of either [...]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that often goes undiagnosed initially. Timely detection of SLE is important, because prompt treatment can prevent its many major complications--notably, end [...]

As in previous years, the consensus group to consider the use of biological agents was formed by an organising committee constituted of rheumatologists from the Universities of Erlangen, Leiden, and [...]

This article presents a case study of an elderly woman with subacute delirium associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. After several weeks of treatment with prednisone, a corticosteroid, the neuropsychiatric manifestations diminished, the patient regained lost weight, and she resumed daily activities without residual cognitive difficulty.

Background: The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) established criteria to discriminate among patients with seven types of vasculitis. Although designated as 'classification criteria' for research, these criteria are often used for diagnosis. Objective: To examine the operating characteristics of the 1990 ACR classification criteria in the diagnosis of Wegener granulomatosis, giant-cell arteritis, polyarteritis nodosa, and hypersensitivity vasculitis. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: University medical center and Veterans Affairs medical center. Patients: 198 consecutive patients referred to rheumatologists for evaluation of possible vasculitis. Measurements: Blinded chart audits were done to classify patients according to the 1990 ACR classification criteria for Wegener granulomatosis, polyarteritis nodosa, giant-cell arteritis, and hypersensitivity vasculitis on the basis of the patients' initial presentation. Chart audits done 2 to 8 months after baseline provided the patients' final diagnoses, which were considered the gold standard, as in the development of the ACR criteria. Test operating characteristics of the ACR classification criteria were calculated according to 2 x 2 tables for the entire cohort and for only the patients with a final diagnosis of vasculitis. Results: Vasculitis was diagnosed in 51 (26%) patients. Thirty-eight (75%) of 51 patients with vasculitis and 31 (21%) of 147 patients without vasculitis met ACR criteria for one or more types of vasculitis. The positive predictive values for the four vasculitides according to ACR criteria were 17% to 29% for the entire cohort and 29% to 75% for only the patients with a final diagnosis of vasculitis. Conclusion: The 1990 ACR classification criteria function poorly in the diagnosis of specific vasculitides., Vasculitis classification criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1990 are inadequate for the diagnosis of these inflammatory blood vessel conditions. The classification criteria were developed to categorize vasculitis conditions, but in practice they are often used to diagnose the diseases. Researchers audited the medical charts of 198 patients with suspected vasculitis, and found that the ACR classifications correctly predicted the final diagnosis in only 17-29% of cases referred to rheumatologists.

CHICAGO -- Researchers have derived and validated a 10-item formula to estimate a patient's risk for developing a major adverse event while on NSAID treatment.The calculator could 'help guide use [...]

When osteoarthritis is severe or inflammatory, physicians may consider using a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; instead of starting with a trial of acetaminophen, according to recommendations on osteoarthritis of the knee [...]

Five important sets of new clinical guidelines have been issued. New recommendations for the management of osteoarthritis from the American College of Rheumatology are available at http://www.rheumatology.org. Evidence-based treatment of [...]

Citing shortfalls in providers' knowledge about glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, the American College of Rheumatology has issued new recommendations for the prevention and treatment of this adverse effect. Glucocorticoids, which include dexamethasone, [...]

Disease classification systems often perform poorly when they are used in the diagnosis of individual patients. A study of the diagnostic accuracy of the American Academy of Rheumatology classification criteria for several forms of vasculitis confirmed this. In diseases which occur infrequently, classification criteria may incorrectly identify patients who do not have the condition, known as a false-positive diagnosis. The inflammatory blood vessel diseases known as vasculitis occur with low enough frequency that the classification criteria do not perform well diagnostically.

The American College of Rheumatology established new drug therapy guidelines for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The guidelines modify and specify how to administer the three classes of drugs used to treat RA: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and glucocorticoids. NSAIDs should be used to treat the symptoms of the disease while DMARDs should be employed to prevent the joint destruction caused by RA., The American College of Rheumatology has set forth two new sets of guidelines for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and monitoring drug therapy for the condition. The more specific drug guidelines [...]

The evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions consume enormous amounts of time, energy, and money in primary care practice. According to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), 1 in [...]

SAN FRANCISCO -- Rheumatologists and primary care physicians tend to use different diagnostic tests and prescribe different treatments for fibromyalgia syndrome, survey results indicated. A large fraction of physicians in [...]

The American College of Rheumatology has updated its 1996 guidelines on management of rheumatoid arthritis, emphasizing the importance of prompt, accurate diagnosis and aggressive use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs within [...]

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released the first guidelines for the medical management of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Osteoarthritis, also known as 'wear-and-tear' arthritis, is the [...]