ACR on Air

Today, in this episode, we’ll discuss the new “2021 Guideline for the Management of Kawasaki Disease”, the mysterious triggers that cause KD, the use of therapies such as IVIG, steroids, infliximab, anakinra, and compare multisystem inflammatory disease in children, or MIS-C (a condition very similar to Kawasaki Disease that is triggered by SARS COV-2). Joining us today is Dr. Mark Gorelik, lead Author of the “2021 Guideline for the Management of Kawasaki Disease”. He’s an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a pediatric rheumatologist, an allergist and immunologist. His research focuses on vasculitis, including Kawasaki disease, and on immune dysregulation.   

In this episode, Dr. Kim Steinbarger, PT, MHS, DHSc, Asst. Professor at Husson University, and Talitha Black, an occupational therapist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), help us clarify some common misconceptions about exercise for people with rheumatic diseases. We’ll discuss tips and strategies to increase physical activity for people of all ages, explore who would benefit from physical or occupational therapy. We’ll discuss bracing, taping, and other strategies that people may use to reduce pain and improve function. 

Today we interview Dr. Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, a Rheumatologist in Montreal, Canada who specializes in pain management in rheumatic diseases and explore cannabis as a pain management option

Recently, ACR released two treatment guidelines for JIA. One updating pharmacologic management and another for non-pharmacologic therapies. We have lead author, Dr. Karen Onel, taking us through a deep dive on these, in an episode close to Jon's heart

Pregnancy and reproductive health have long been hot topics in the rheumatology community. Lisa Sammaritano, MD and Whitney White, PharmD, BCPS joined our host to discuss three research articles moving conversations forward on pregnancy and lactation in rheumatic disease patients.  Tough Choices: Exploring Medication Decision-Making During Pregnancy and Lactation Among Women With Inflammatory Arthritis. ACR Open Rheumatology.  Improving Knowledge of Lactation Compatibility of Antirheumatic Medications Among Providers Who Care for Patients With Rheumatic Disease. ACR Open Rheumatology.  Improved Pregnancy Outcome in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Followed an Ideal Clinical Pathway. ACR Arthritis Care & Research. 

In this episode of ACR on Air, we reach the final installment of our vasculitis guideline miniseries. Dr. Hausmann is once again joined by Dr. Sharon Chung, lead author of the 2021 ACR/VF guidelines for managing systemic vasculitis, to discuss Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN). Dr. Chung weighs in on CTA over MRA for abdominal vascular imaging, and blind biopsy. Dr. Hausmann and Dr. Chung examine various patient scenarios for PAN symptoms and why they would meet the criteria for data testing. 

In this episode of ACR on Air, we continue into part two of our Vasculitis miniseries with Dr. Sharon Chung, lead author of the 2021 ACR/VF guidelines for managing systemic vasculitis. Dr. Chung addresses how the guidelines were developed, the use of use temporal artery biopsy, and the on-going challenges with treating Takayasu’s arteritis. She also highlights the success of non-invasive ultrasound techniques in Europe for diagnosing Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and discusses the treatment approaches for GCA. 

In this episode of ACR on Air we begin the first entry in our Vasculitis miniseries with Dr. Sharon Chung, where we take a detailed examination of the 2021 ACR/VF guidelines for managing systemic vasculitis. In part one of the series Dr. Chung will discuss the importance and creation of the guidelines along with the impact the author's hope to achieve. We then dive into the recommendations for ANCA-associated vasculitis, including: GPA, EGPA and MPA. We'll address controversial questions for treatment and the impacts that arise for COVID-19 vaccinations.

It’s been seven months since the ACR released its COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance for Patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases, and we continue to learn more about navigating COVID-19 in rheumatology patients. Some real-world data has become available on patient outcomes. The FDA has issued an EUA for 3rd doses of an available mRNA vaccine in certain immunocompromised patients. Antibody testing continues to be heavily debated. And monoclonal antibody treatment has received an EUA to be used as a prophylaxis measure in patients at high risk for developing severe COVID-19. Dr. Jeff Curtis, Chair of the ACR COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance Task Force, joins us to discuss these developments, updated task force recommendations, and more.

On episode 21, we discussed alternative therapies that providers and patients can consider to support treatment plans for rheumatic diseases. On this episode,  Dr. Monica Guma joins the show to talk about how diet may impact these conditions, positively or negatively.   The host, Dr. Guma nor the ACR suggest that patients with rheumatic conditions forgo traditional treatment plans recommended by trained rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals. Patients should continue to see their rheumatologist to discuss complements to their treatment plan.