INTRODUCTION Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common chronic joint disorder and is characterized by a degradative and repair process of cartilage and subchondral bone associated with synovial inflammation that may…
Septic arthritis is a term often used to describe patients with an acute pyogenic joint infection due to a bacterial pathogen. The term may also be used in reference to…
A 52-year-old woman presented with a 2-week history of progressive joint and muscle pain with stiffness in the upper arm and leg musculature. She had been exercising regularly for years…
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM VASCULITIS A 34-year-old woman is admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) following presentation to the emergency department with slurred speech, right-sided arm and leg weakness, severe…
SARCOIDOSIS Introduction Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disease of uncertain etiology associated with the accumulation of noncaseating granulomas in clinically involved tissues and, occasionally, in asymptomatic tissues. This disease has…
A male patient was diagnosed at 48 years of age with Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) involving the sinuses, nose, and lungs. He was treated with daily cyclophosphamide and prednisolone for 1…
Systemic sclerosis or scleroderma (SSc) is a rare and complicated autoimmune disease that presents with many challenging therapeutic quandaries. In this chapter, we will discuss and examine these frequently encountered…
INTRODUCTION The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is the association of thrombosis, pregnancy loss, and morbidity, and certain other clinical manifestations with antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) (lupus anticoagulant [LA], anticardiolipin antibodies [aCL], and/or…
INTRODUCTION Renal involvement is one of the most serious clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), contributing significantly to overall morbidity and mortality. Its prevalence in lupus varies from 31%…
INTRODUCTION Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem, inflammatory disorder. Its treatment warrants general anti-inflammatory measures as well as organ-specific, preventive, or focused measures concentrating on sets of commonalities. The…
