Rheum Advisor on Air

The recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of anifrolumab for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) came a decade after the approval of human monoclonal antibody belimumab.

In this episode of the Rheumatology Advisor podcast, we speak with Mary K. Crow, MD, who provides a deeper insight into the evolution of lupus treatments over the years, with a focus on history, barriers in research, information regarding the anifrolumab approval, and the future of drug development in SLE.

We also present the perspectives of a patient with lupus; Christele Felix serves as a Patient Advocate for Lupus Studies (PAL) for the Lupus Research Alliance, provides peer support for those interested in learning about clinical trials in lupus, and has presented on various topics, including health disparities, at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) annual conference.

According to multiple studies and surveys, 50% to 80% of individuals continue to have lingering symptoms approximately 3 months after the onset of COVID-19. Now, musculoskeletal symptoms are becoming common lasting symptoms among "COVID-19 long haulers."

In this episode of the Rheumatology Advisor podcast, guest hosts Tylar Stanley and Samiha Tamboo have a conversation with Swati Deshmukh, MD, a musculoskeletal radiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, about "long COVID," including evidence of musculoskeletal symptoms, and its effect on patients with rheumatologic disease.

An estimated 80% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have pulmonary involvement, with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) being the most common of these lung manifestations. In fact, both these conditions have been identified as the leading causes of SSc-related mortality.

In this episode of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2021 Virtual Congress series, Toby Maher, MD, a professor of medicine and pulmonologist, describes the increased prevalence of lung involvement in scleroderma and the need for routine screening among these patients.

Research has shown the importance of diet and nutrition in reducing disease burden in rheumatic diseases, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. But how can providers effectively communicate about the role of diet and nutrition to their patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs)?

In this episode of the EULAR 2021 series, Elena Nikiphorou, MBBS/BSc, MD, discusses the importance of emphasizing diet and lifestyle, along with pharmacologic treatment, to patients with RMDs.

In the first episode of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) 2021 Virtual Congress series, we spoke with co-authors Jeffrey Sparks, MD, and Zachary Wallace, MD, about their research – the association between disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) use and COVID-19 outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – conducted on behalf of the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance.

The study was presented by Dr Sparks and Dr Wallace at the EULAR 2021 meeting and has been published in BMJ.

Owing to the overlap, and possible transition, of care between psoriasis, a systemic condition typically presenting as skin manifestations, and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic heterogeneous inflammatory arthritis, a multidisciplinary approach is required during patient management.

We're joined on this episode by a dermatologist and rheumatologist, and Penn Medicine colleagues, Joel Gelfand, MD, and Alexis Ogdie, MD, who provide deeper insight into the overlap and transition of care between patients with psoriasis and PsA.

Pediatric rheumatologists and providers are uniquely positioned to build and foster relationships of trust with their patients. However, while providing care for the rheumatic condition, should physicians be allowed to inquire about the sexual orientation and gender identity of their patients?

In this episode, we tackle important questions about the ethical considerations during the development of treatment plans for pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases.

Karen Onel, MD, the chief of the Pediatric Rheumatology Division at the Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, along with third-year fellows in pediatric rheumatology Nayimisha Balmuri, MD, and Jacob Spitznagle, MD, speak with us about their clinical practice experiences and the importance of representing pediatric patients in a way that centers and considers their personhood holistically, especially among populations in which mental health issues and other psychosocial stressors are present.

In part 1 of this series, experts provided insight into a few data registries in rheumatology, including ArthritisPower, CorEvitas, and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)'s RISE registry.

In the second part, we're discussing 2 more data registries in rheumatology. Yukiko Kimura, MD, provides an overview of the updates and future plans of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) registry for pediatric rheumatology; and Pedro Machado, MD, PhD, describes the engaging data and work stemming from the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance.

The potential for big data and data registries in rheumatology is immense. In this 2-part series, we're getting updates and the future plans of some of the big databases and data registries in rheumatology.

Michael George, MD, talks to us about ArthritisPower, Jeff Greenberg, MD, discusses the work of CorEvitas, and Christie Bartels, MD, provides further insight into the American College of Rheumatology (ACR)'s RISE Registry.

Recent studies have indicated the persistence of gender gaps in terms of promotion, publication, and federal funding in academic rheumatology in the United States, despite an increase in the number of women rheumatologists in the workforce over the years.

Authors of a paper published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology noted, "To move forward, we must find ways to address the gender gap in rheumatology with the goal of creating a workforce as diverse as the patient population it serves."

In this episode, we are speaking with the authors, Shereen Mahmood, MD, and Irene Blanco, MD, to get further insight into the existing inequities among women in academic rheumatology, and how gender gaps can be bridged and parity achieved.