Lupus

Hand deformities seen in Jaccoud's arthropathy are the result of soft-tissue abnormalities, not the destruction of bone joints seen in rheumatoid arthritis.

New guidelines issued at EULAR 2015 outline ways to reduce risks of complications for pregnant women with SLE and antiphospholipid syndrome. Details here.

Researchers have identified a set of rules that determine which molecules can trigger immune system vulnerability to common autoimmune disorders like lupus and psoriasis.

Dating probably doesn't enter the conversation very often during visits with your lupus patients. Here, someone who has had more than her share of struggles with lupus describes trying to find someone to share that difficult life.

Even a well-informed patient may sometimes throw your prescription in the trash. Here a young woman with lupus describes what sometimes prompts her simply to ignore her doctor's best advice about treatment.

Not all cases with rheumatic disease turn up in the rheumatology literature, of course. Test your diagnostic skills on these four puzzlers from other journals. (We present brief descriptions only, with hyperlinks to the original reports.)

This lupus patient likes her rheumatologist but sometimes hates seeing him. She gives two reasons for this, and offers suggestions to improve the relationship.

IgG4 levels were low in this study for only systemic sclerosis and Sjögren's. But other patterns suggested aberrant immune regulation.

For patients diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) finding relief for their symptoms can make a large difference in their quality of life.

(ACR2014) Another Rheumatology Network Editorial Board member weighs in: Christopher Collins MD saw reason for great encouragement in a report about an interferon-α blocker for systemic lupus erythematosus.

(ACR2014) A team from Rush University says their new 10-point instrument developed should be useful to track lupus disease status for trials and in the clinic.

(ACR2014) Early comparisons of patients with rheumatic disease who use marijuana with those who don't show that the practice is not associated with better pain relief. But it is associated with some "sobering" consequences.

Doctors treating a patient for a lupus flare presenting as a fever were puzzled when her body temperature suddenly plunged. After solving the problem, they learned that it is rare but not unique -- and may be somewhat predictable.

This 14-year-old girl not only has lupus; she has also been diagnosed with arthritis, a vasculitic rash, and myositis. Can you guess what's actually going on here?

Nausea and vomiting are the first symptoms of lupus in these three case studies. The consequences of misdiagnosis can be life-threatening.

Already discontinued for rheumatoid arthritis, the candidate drug tabalumab will no longer be tested for lupus either. Observers are taking a positive view of the situation.

Trials of tabalumab showed "insufficient efficacy."

People who have rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis or lupus are at increased risk for shingles. Studies suggest that treatment for the rheumatic condition may be a factor in certain circumstances.

Confirming the high pneumonia risk in lupus patients, researchers in Spain have found that it may precede the onset of the immune disorder. Their biological studies suggest that a particular underlying immune abnormality may explain both.

Reasons why women with lupus change from azathioprine to mycophenolate mofetil or vice versa are different, as is the success of switching.

The first step in reducing the burden of infection during lupus nephritis is understanding where and how it happens.

The patient is plagued by problems: Severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, a rash, chest and abdominal pains, and by the time she reaches a rheumatologist, periorbital edema and photophobia. Can you guess the cause?

Last year's approval of belimumab (Benlysta) revolutionized lupus treatment. How safe and effective is it, actually? Do similar inhibitors of the B-cell activating factor BAFF, now in testing, appear even more promising? Here are the basics from an expert on the subject.

Researchers found a more than tripled risk of ASDs and VSDs in children born to SLE mothers in a study reported at the recent annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

In partnership with the British Medical Journal, the Lupus Foundation of America will publish Lupus Science and Medicine beginning in 2014.