Rheumatology
Clinical discussions on autoimmune diseases, biologic therapies, vasculitis, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Recent Discussions
In the setting of new onset severe Raynaud’s with digital ischemia (partial toe amputation), but negative initial rheumatologic evaluation, what additional rheumatologic or hematologic workup should be considered?
This is always a difficult situation. As Rheumatologists, we tend to lean hard on the laboratories, but in cases like this, it is the history and physical examination that tell the better story. The history is critical here, since a smoking/tobacco history gives a lot of information. Any history of ...
In patients with Sjogren’s disease, what is your approach to baseline ILD screening and subsequent monitoring?
My approach generally follows the Consensus Guidelines for Evaluation and Management of Pulmonary Disease in Sjögren’s published in Chest in 2021 (Lee et al., PMID 33075377). These guidelines specify different approaches for asymptomatic patients diagnosed with SjD versus SjD patients with pulmonary...
For a patient with orbital sarcoidosis who has achieved sustained clinical remission on adalimumab in combination with mycophenolate mofetil, how long would you recommend continuing mycophenolate before considering a gradual taper and discontinuation?
In patients with sarcoidosis who achieve remission, I generally favor considering a gradual taper of immunosuppressive therapy after sustained disease control, rather than discontinuing treatment immediately once clinical remission is achieved.There is no universally accepted duration of remission o...
How do you explain the concept of CAR-T therapy and why it may work to patients with autoimmune disease who are interested in pursuing a clinical trial?
In full transparency, I have not personally obtained informed consent from a patient immediately before CAR-T or a related cellular therapy. My center has a highly active immune therapeutics program, however, and I have spoken and written extensively about this area. I also serve on our health syste...
How do you manage a possible autoimmune sialadenitis arising from checkpoint inhibitor therapy?
This is a great question and a common clinical scenario in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. In my experience, severe sicca symptoms from immunotherapy are often not classic primary Sjögren's syndrome, despite some overlapping features. Rather, this appears to be an acute T-cell-media...
Do you recommend checking anti-drug antibodies for patients on TNF inhibitors?
This is a very good question with direct clinical practice implications. I do not check or follow anti-drug antibodies when using TNF inhibitors for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. There are reports that suggest, on a group level, that these antibodies, if present, impa...
How do you envision incorporating CAR-T therapy into your clinical rheumatology practice?
This is an excellent question—one that, for now, might best be explored over a glass of white wine and some lively hand-waving. It’s a question I often find myself reflecting on every time I hear a presentation or read a new paper on the subject. Here’s a brief editorial response outlining how I env...
Should the use of avacopan be limited to those patients at increased risk of steroid toxicity given the anticipated high cost of this medication?
Once Avacopan is available for clinical use in the treatment of patients with AAV, providers will need to carefully weigh risks and benefits of the medication while considering other factors including cost.The ADVOCATE trial used a novel glucocorticoid toxicity index that captures common GC-related ...
As a primary care provider, how should I adjust cervical cancer screening for patients with different types and degrees of immunosuppression, such as solid organ transplant recipients on intensive regimens versus patients on biologics like Humira or Dupixent, or people with HIV and an undetectable viral load?
Dr. @Dr. First Last, I like this question a lot. We rheumatologists can tend to forget how complicated this topic can be.I. Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), the #1 drug to treat SLE, is often mistaken as an immunosuppressant, but it is not. It is an immunomodulatory therapy without true immunosuppres...
In light of promising results of hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19, should we consider using it prophylactically in cancer patients, especially if immunocompromised?
At this time, as there is no good evidence available, I would not recommend the use of hydroxycholoroquine prophylactically in cancer patients. It is unclear whether it would prevent contagion, probably not, and we still don't know if it will have any effect on the course of COVID-19. We expect ther...