Lupus for Doctors

May 16 2024

‘Don’t miss this’: Rare types of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can be life-threatening

DESTIN, Fla. — Pinpointing rare subtypes of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is crucial, as the consequences of overlooking them could be deadly, according to a speaker at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East.
“It is important to identify these few people because some of these diseases are actually life-threatening,” Anne-Marie Malfait, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at Rush Medical College, in Chicago, told attendees. “We really need to make sure that we don’t miss this.”
According to Malfait, the “No. 1 place” to search for signs of a rare type of

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From Healio.com RHEUMATOLOGY • Lupus for Doctors • 0

May 16 2024

‘Be aggressive’ in detecting, managing interstitial lung disease in early scleroderma

DESTIN, Fla. — Detection and treatment of interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis calls for early and aggressive action, according to data presented at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East.
“Most of us really try to be more conservative in scleroderma,” Dinesh Khanna, MD, MSc, a professor of medicine at the University of Michigan Medical Cener, told attendees. “Be aggressive in this patient population.”
The preferred methods to screen for interstitial lung disease (ILD) are high-resolution CT and a pulmonary function test (PFT), while invalid methods

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From Healio.com RHEUMATOLOGY • Lupus for Doctors • 0

May 15 2024

Trustworthiness of chronic pain clinical practice guidelines ‘should not be assumed’

DESTIN, Fla. — Clinical practice guidelines for chronic pain sometimes emerge through flawed processes, present conflicting statements, and warrant close evaluation, according to a speaker at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East.
“Clinical practice guidelines on chronic pain, on the same topic, unfortunately, provide conflicting recommendations,” Jason W. Busse, DC, PhD, a professor of anesthesia at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Canada, told attendees. “It’s really unfortunate for you, because you have to sort your way through all of this.
“Trustworthiness

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From Healio.com RHEUMATOLOGY • Lupus for Doctors • 0

May 15 2024

Cannabis ‘reasonable’ to try for chronic pain before resorting to opioids

DESTIN, Fla. — Physicians can consider cannabis before opioids for chronic pain when other options have been exhausted, according to a speaker at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East.
“Non-opioid and non-cannabis approaches should be optimized first,” Jason W. Busse, DC, PhD, a professor of anesthesia at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Canada, told attendees. “But for patients who do not achieve a satisfactory result, it’s not unreasonable to offer a trial of oral cannabis products and, lastly, a trial of opioids.”
In his talk, Busse outlined the

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From Healio.com RHEUMATOLOGY • Lupus for Doctors • 0

May 14 2024

‘Be prepared to negotiate’ with patients when choosing osteoporosis treatment

DESTIN, Fla. — Individualized treatment for osteoporosis calls for a keen understanding of the patient’s frame of mind, according to a speaker at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology East.
“Understand your patient’s mindset before making a recommendation,” E. Michael Lewiecki, MD, clinical professor of medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and director of the New Mexico Clinical Research and Osteoporosis Center, told attendees. “Be prepared to negotiate when the patient does not agree to your recommendation.”
According to

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From Healio.com RHEUMATOLOGY • Lupus for Doctors • 0