Articles By Kathryn H. Dao, M.D.
Gangsin: 갱신 Korean: refresh, renew, updated
Remaining status quo requires less effort than making a change. Over the last 20+ years, I have listened to thousands of patients confide their personal stories. Some remained paralyzed in their current state of distress, fearing new situations may be worse. I was one of them, until recently. In this final blog of my trilogy on self-discovery, I reveal my new life.
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Chào: (Vietnamese: Goodbye/Hello)
One of the first words I was taught by my parents was “chào”. In Vietnamese, you say chào and bow when you greet someone or when you leave as a sign of respect. In my first blog about self-discovery, I detailed the burnout and why I left clinical practice. In this second blog of the trilogy, I wanted to share encounters with patients as I told them goodbye. While I received great advice when I started practice, no one ever talks about how hard it is to leave.
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ICYMI: Sex Disparities in PsA/SpA
Dr. Eder delivered an illuminating talk at RheumNow Live 2024 on sex differences in psoriatic arthritis; the disease may manifest differently in men and women, and therapeutic responses may differ between the sexes.
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Karoshi - {Japanese 過労死: Death by Being Overworked}
Over the last few decades, Japanese workers were collapsing dead at their desks or committing suicide due to the high stress stemming from their jobs; Japan coined this phenomenon, “Karoshi.” In 2021, the World Health Organization and International Labour Organization issued a warning: working 55+ hours a week is a serious health hazard and increases the risk for death from heart disease and stroke. But since the pandemic, I see many colleagues working hard at the expense of their health, family life, mental and emotional well-being. I never thought I would be burned out because I had passion for my job.
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ICYMI: Eating for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The majority of practicing rheumatologists at RheumNow Live were unaware of the new ACR guidelines issued in 2022 regarding dietary and lifestyle recommendations for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Dr. Monica Guma reviewed these guidelines during her lecture on the impact of diet on disease activity and therapeutic response.
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Eating for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The majority of practicing rheumatologists at RheumNow Live were unaware of the new ACR guidelines issued in 2022 regarding dietary and lifestyle recommendations for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Dr. Monica Guma reviewed these guidelines during her lecture on the impact of diet on disease activity and therapeutic response.
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Sex Disparities in PsA/SpA
Dr. Eder delivered an illuminating talk at RheumNow Live 2024 on sex differences in psoriatic arthritis; the disease may manifest differently in men and women, and therapeutic responses may differ between the sexes.
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ICYMI: ACR Plenaries: Changing the Practice of Rheumatology
Over the years of navigating the annual meeting, I found the sessions with the most impact to my practice were the Plenary Sessions. During these sessions, the latest research is presented, new ideas are floated, and old myths debunked. Here are the top ACR2023 Plenary abstracts I found impactful for my practice.
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ICYMI: The Heart of Lupus
Few people are aware of the EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in SLE published in 2022. The recommendations had 4 overarching principles: increase awareness of elevated cardiovascular risk, need for regular cardiovascular screening, assess and manage modifiable risk factors, and patient education. During ACR 2023 Convergence, several abstracts were presented evaluating the prevalence of CV disease and exploring new tools to predict CV disease.
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Do We Stop or Continue Treatment?
Remission had been a dream, an elusive concept. But then, with the introduction of biologics, conventional synthetic and targeted synthetic DMARDS, patients are able to live longer and with a better quality of life. While these therapeutics have been helpful, they are expensive and carry potential side effects. The big question looms: Do we stop or continue treatment?
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