touchREVIEWS in RMD – Volume 1, Issue 1 – 2022

Welcome to our first issue of touchREVIEWS in RMD. This free-to-access issue is full of topical content addressing the most important and salient developments in the management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders, which we think will be of interest to you, including articles around systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) […]

Dear readers I am delighted to take on the mantle of Editor-in-Chief for touchREVIEWS in RMD and am grateful to have this opportunity to share some details of my background and my passion for great medical education with you. My first job after leaving school was to work (very briefly) for an estate agent in […]

Fibromyalgia (FM) is defined as widespread musculoskeletal pain and tenderness, in the absence of another explanation. Poor sleep, fatigue and pain are all associated with FM. Diagnostic criteria are well defined,1 and the prevalence of FM appears to be steadily increasing, with patients presenting at progressively younger ages. Experience suggests that most patients are female, and […]

Targeting the Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway with JAK inhibitors (JAKis) has opened multiple avenues for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and, more generally, chronic inflammatory diseases. The JAK family comprises JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2).1 Although structurally similar, these four members display subtle differences in the […]

Living with inflammatory arthritis (IA) can pose multiple challenges throughout the lives of patients, as well as to their families and friends. Despite major advances in available treatments for inflammatory arthritides, such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis, there remains an important role for the person living with IA. In this regard, an important aspect of […]

The seronegative spondyloarthritides are a group of inflammatory arthropathies that are related in aspects of their clinical and radiographic presentations and genetic predisposition. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) are two of the major diseases classified under this umbrella, in addition to reactive arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease-associated arthritis and undifferentiated spondyloarthritis. PsA is an […]

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an estimated global prevalence of 0.2%.1,2 The condition may occur in up to 30% of patients with psoriasis, with PsA typically developing 10 years after the onset of skin disease.1,3,4 PsA is a highly heterogeneous disease, with manifestations including peripheral arthritis, axial disease, psoriasis, nail changes, dactylitis and enthesitis, […]

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) includes several distinct clinical entities: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) and renal-limited vasculitis. What all these diseases have in common is the presence of serum autoantibodies, designated as ANCA, that react with antigens in the cytoplasm of neutrophilic granulocytes and monocytes.1,2 The […]

Isaacs and Lindenmann first identified interferons (IFNs) in 1957.1 They discovered that chicken embryo chorioallantois membranes pre-treated with heat-inactivated influenza virus inhibited the growth of live influenza virus, and thus, the abridged term for ‘viral interference’ became ‘interferon’. A little over 20 years later, there was speculation that not only did IFNs offer protection against viral […]

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a typical systemic autoimmune disease that commonly affects women in their 20s and 30s, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:9–1:10.1–5 The disease affects multiple organs in the body, including the skin, joints, kidneys, serosa, lungs, central nervous system and blood vessels, as well as the haematopoietic system, thereby presenting various clinical […]