Deana Lazaro

Elderly-onset systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence, clinical course and treatment.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune multi-system disease of uncertain aetiology with highly variable clinical manifestations. Women of child-bearing age are most often affected; however, ≈10–20% of cases occur in older patients. Elderly-onset lupus has been defined in various studies as onset of lupus after age 50–65 years. Menopause and changes in cellular immunity with aging may contribute to development of lupus in older adults.Many studies suggest that the clinical and serological features of elderly-onset lupus differ from those of lupus in younger patients. Arthritis, fever, serositis, sicca symptoms, Raynaud’s syndrome, lung disease and neuropsychiatric symptoms are more common in patients with elderly-onset lupus, while malar rash, discoid lupus and glomerulonephritis are less common in elderly-onset patients compared with younger lupus patients. Most elderly-onset lupus patients have a positive anti-nuclear antibody test, but the prevalence of anti-double-stranded DNA and hypocomplementaemia is lower in elderly-onset patients than in younger patients. Rheumatoid factor, anti-Ro/Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) A and anti-La/SSB are more often positive in elderly-onset patients. The diagnosis of elderly-onset lupus may be delayed for many months: insidious onset, low prevalence and similarity to other more common disorders make the diagnosis of lupus challenging in this population.Treatment of lupus in the elderly may be complicated by co-morbidities and increased risk of toxicities from usual treatments. Optimal management of elderly-onset lupus is empiric because of a lack of randomised controlled studies. However, the approach to treatment is similar regardless of the age of the patient.This article discusses the prevalence, clinical course, serological features, prognosis and treatment of elderly-onset systemic lupus erythematosus.

Prospective study of posttraumatic stress disorder and disease activity outcomes in US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis

To examine the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and disease activity in US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Body mass index and the rheumatoid arthritis swollen joint count: An observational study

Obesity is a prevalent condition and a serious health concern. The relationship between obesity and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity and severity has not been adequately examined, and there are concerns that periarticular adipose tissue may reduce the utility of the joint examination.

Adherence with bisphosphonate therapy in US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis

Pharmacy Benefits Management program data for patients enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) registry were linked with clinical data to determine bisphosphonate adherence and persistence among US veterans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to determine factors associated with adherence.

Systemic inflammation as a novel QT-prolonging risk factor in patients with torsades de pointes

Objective Increasing evidence indicates systemic inflammation as a new potential cause of acquired long QT syndrome (LQTS), via cytokine-mediated changes in cardiomyocyte ion channels. Torsade de pointes (TdP) is a life-threatening polymorphic ventricular tachycardia occurring in patients with LQTS, usually when multiple QT-prolonging factors are simultaneously present. Since classical risk factors cannot fully explain TdP events in a number of patients, we hypothesised that systemic inflammation may represent a currently overlooked risk factor contributing to TdP development in the general population. Methods Forty consecutive patients who experienced TdP (TdP cohort) were consecutively enrolled and circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin-1 (IL-1)) were compared with patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), comorbidity or healthy controls. An additional 46 patients with different inflammatory conditions (acute infections, n=31; immune-mediated diseases, n=12; others, n=3) and elevated CRP (inflammatory cohort) were prospectively enrolled, and corrected QT (QTc) and cytokine levels were measured during active disease and after a CRP decrease of >75% subsequent to therapy. Results In the TdP cohort, 80% of patients showed elevated CRP levels (median: ~3 mg/dL), with a definite inflammatory disease identifiable in 18/40 cases (acute infections, n=12; immune-mediated diseases, n=5; others, n=1). In these subjects, IL-6, but not TNFα and IL-1, was ~15–20 times higher than in controls, and comparable to RA patients. In the inflammatory cohort, where QTc prolongation was common (mean values: 456.6±30.9 ms), CRP reduction was associated with IL-6 level decrease and significant QTc shortening (−22.3 ms). Conclusion The data are first to show that systemic inflammation via elevated IL-6 levels may represent a novel QT-prolonging risk factor contributing to TdP occurrence in the presence of other classical risk factors. If confirmed, this could open new avenues in antiarrhythmic therapy.

The Effect of Allopurinol on Renal Function.

Background Hyperuricemia is associated with development of gout, hypertension, and renal disease. The impact of allopurinol, a urate-lowering therapy, on renal function is unclear, especially in patients with chronic kidney disease who are at higher risk of hypersensitivity reaction. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the effect of allopurinol on kidney function in hyperuricemic male veterans. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study using pharmacy, medical, and laboratory records of veterans enrolled at the Veterans Administration New York Harbor Healthcare System, Brooklyn campus. Fifty patients with hyperuricemia defined as a serum uric acid greater than 7 mg/dL (average of ~9 mg/dL), newly started on allopurinol for any reason, with evidence of treatment compliance, were matched by age, race, sex, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (EGFR) to 50 hyperuricemic control subjects. The retrospective cases were observed from October 2000 until November 2006, at which time there was a change in the laboratory analyzer, making further comparisons inappropriate. Results On average, patients treated with a mean 221 (SD, 96) mg/d dose of allopurinol achieved 11.9 mL/min higher GFR (95% confidence interval, 4.8–11.9 mg/d dose; P = 0.01) than did the control group. Treatment effect was found to depend on the initial EGFR, as indicated by the significant treatment by initial EGFR interaction (P = 0.004) and increased with a higher initial EGFR. The allopurinol-treated group had a 0.10 mg/dL lower final creatinine level (95% confidence interval, 0.003–0.20 mg/dL; P = 0.04) than did the control subjects, adjusted for initial creatinine and age. The average length of follow-up was 3.4 years. There were 5 mild adverse events in the treated cases. Conclusions Treatment of hyperuricemic patients with allopurinol over an average of 3.4 years resulted in a significant improvement of kidney function in this male cohort from the Veterans Administration Healthcare System. Clinicians should consider this potential benefit of allopurinol in the treatment of patients with hyperuricemia, those with overall maintained renal function.

Marked Qtc prolongation and torsades de pointes in patients with Chronic Inflammatory arthritis

Mounting evidence indicates that in chronic inflammatory arthritis (CIA), QTc prolongation is frequent and correlates with systemic inflammatory activation. Notably, basic studies demonstrated that inflammatory cytokines induce profound changes in potassium and calcium channels resulting in a prolonging effect on cardiomyocyte action potential duration, thus on the QT interval on the electrocardiogram. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, the risk of sudden cardiac death is significantly increased when compared to non-RA subjects. Conversely, to date no data are available about torsades de pointes (TdP) prevalence in CIA, and the few cases reported considered CIA only an incidental concomitant disease, not contributing factor to TdP development. We report three patients with active CIA developing marked QTc prolongation, in two cases complicated with TdP degenerating to cardiac arrest. In these patients, a blood sample was obtained within 24 h from TdP/marked QTc prolongation occurrence, and levels of IL-6, TNFα, and IL-1 were evaluated. In all three cases, IL-6 was markedly elevated, ~10 to 100 times more than reference values. Moreover, one patient also showed high circulating levels of TNFα and IL-1. In conclusion, active CIA may represent a currently overlooked QT-prolonging risk factor, potentially contributing in the presence of other “classical” risk factors to TdP occurrence. In particular, a relevant role may be played by elevated circulating IL-6 levels via direct electrophysiological effects on the heart. This fact should be carefully kept in mind, particularly when recognizable risk factors are already present and/or the addition of QT-prolonging drugs is required.

Intra-articular, bursa, and tendon sheath injections: A survey of practice patterns among members of the American college of rheumatology

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to survey members of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) regarding intra-articular and soft tissue (musculoskeletal [MSK]) injections and to determine if injection techniques vary depending on type of practice and years of experience. MethodsA survey was e-mailed to the members of the ACR to obtain demographics of the respondents, MSK injection practices, and adverse events seen. ResultsThe most common indications for MSK injections were rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and bursitis. Written consent and time-out procedures were more common in academic/government practices when compared with private practice. There was variation in the type of corticosteroid used. The most common preparations were methylprednisolone actetate (45.0%), triamcinolone acetonide (26.1%), triamcinolone hexacetonide (22.1%). This survey showed good agreement on the dosage of corticosteroid for MSK injections; however, as years of experience increased, clinicians were more likely to prescribe lower doses for shoulder and knee injections. ConclusionsIn this survey of ACR members, we found self-reported differences in the type of corticosteroid used for MSK injections. There was general agreement on frequency of injections, but more experienced practitioners reported using lower doses of corticosteroid.

Rheumatology Research Foundation Clinician Scholar Educator Award: Fifteen Years Promoting Rheumatology Educators and Education

The Rheumatology Research Foundations Clinician Scholar Educator (CSE) award is a 3‐year career development award supporting medical education research while providing opportunities for mentorship and collaboration. Our objective was to document the individual and institutional impact of the award since its inception, as well as its promise to strengthen the subspecialty of rheumatology.