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CDC Updates Arthritis Numbers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) routinely surveys the population prevalence of certain chronic disorders, including arthritis.
Read ArticlePoor Outcomes for Dermato/Polymyositis Admitted to ICU
Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) may be complicated with life-threatening conditions requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The outcomes of such complications may be dire, but there are few series addressing the outcomes of those admitted to the ICU.
Read ArticleDoctors Need to See the Forest, Not Just the Trees
Doctors have an interesting problem. They have an ingrained professional obsessive-compulsive habit; they fixate on the care of individual patients and on the science of healing. This is an admirable trait; it results in high-quality care. However, when physicians need to change their attention from healer to leader, from medicine to the business of medicine, from healthcare to the healthcare system, they falter. Stuck in silos, they fail to adjust their focus. They resist systemic innovation. Because they cannot flip, they flop.
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Does Your Hospital Staff Include a Donald Trump?
When Donald Trump announced that he was running for president last summer, most people didn't know quite what to think. Was this serious or some sort of publicity stunt? Would he be in the race for more than just a few weeks of intense media spotlight?
Read ArticleVitamin D has No Effect on Knee Osteoarthritis
Vitamin D supplementation for individuals with knee osteoarthritis and low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels did not reduce knee pain or slow cartilage loss, according to a study appearing in the March 8 issue of JAMA.
Muscle Weakness Predicts Disability in Scleroderma
Muscle weakness was independently associated with disability in patients with scleroderma, and as muscle weakness worsened, disability also increased, according to findings from a retrospective, nested, case control study.
Read ArticleZika Virus May Cause Guillain-Barré Syndrome
The spectrum and extent of the Zika virus is still evolving. Lancet has reported 42 patients diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) during the Zika virus outbreak in French Polynesia.
Read ArticleCalling a Doctor by His or Her First Name
Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene II: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title."
CBC Hidden Pearls
CBC…it’s easy as 123! The complete blood count (aka, CBC) is the most routine, but indispensable, of all medical assessments.
Read ArticleRelapse Common in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis
Overall survival and survival free of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have both improved significantly over time in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), but the risk of relapse has not.
Read ArticleGCA: Uptick in Severe Infections in First Year
Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) had a higher rate of severe infections compared with the general population, a French study found.
Read ArticleASBMR Guidance on Bisphosphonate Use
The American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Task Force has issued a guidance report on the use of bisphosphonates (BP) with a focus on the risk vs. benefits of such therapy. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1Nn0CVb)
Read ArticleFamous Rheumatologist Quotes – Part II
Last month, many rheumatologists offered up their favorite quotes. Most of these were on medicine, medical skills, some pertained to rheumatology and others were axioms for life.
Read ArticleICD-10: Preparing for the Next Y2K (Best of 2015)
ICD-10 starts tomorrow, October 1st. Your Coding memory will have to increase 5-fold or more as we go from 16,000 to 68,000 new ICD-10 codes. How this will affect each of us remains to be seen. There’s a lot to learn, and many wonder if this will be the next “Y2K”.
Read ArticleStrange ICD-10 Codes (Best of 2015)
The range of categories and diagnostic possibilities is astronomical with the new ICD-10 and its 68,000 codes.
Read ArticlePhysicians Bash Meaningful Use at Open Forum
Members of two professional medical societies griped about what they view as the Obama administration's inept attempts to regulate electronic health records (EHRs) and shared their visions for the ideal online platform at a second "town hall" meeting here Tuesday.
Read ArticleTop 5 and Bottom 5 Joints (Best of 2015)
Who knows or ponders the articulations (joints) more so than the rheumatologist or orthopedist? We know their anatomy, their contours, tender sites and how to examine them. Adults have over 200 bones and up to 360 joints. Imagine if you had to do a DAS360?
Read ArticleWhen to Taper Patients Off Opioids
I am often asked the question: When is the right time to taper a patient off opioids?
My view is that a patient should be tapered any time the risks exceed the benefits, or when treatment goals are not being met.
Read ArticleCDC Reports Increases in Tularemia
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a sharp rise in tularemia, especially in Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska.
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