Although there are many examples of autoantibodies in disease-free individuals, they can be a preclinical phenomenon heralding future autoimmune rheumatic disease. They may be a marker for autoreactive B-cell activation…
Rheumatic diseases offer distinct challenges to researchers because of heterogeneity in disease phenotypes, low disease incidence, and geographic variation in genetic and environmental factors. Emerging research areas, including epigenetics, metabolomics,…
Preclinical lupus encompasses a spectrum from enhanced SLE risk without clinical symptoms to individuals with autoantibodies and some SLE clinical features without meeting ACR classification. Studies have identified antibody and…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) develops through a series of stages. In the seropositive subset of classified RA patients, a preclinical stage is present for years before the onset of clinically apparent…
Chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions result from an interplay between genetic and environmental factors culminating in the phenotypes of established disease. The transition from health to established disease is relatively…
Vivian P. Bykerk, MD, Editor Karen H. Costenbader, MD, MPH, Editor Kevin Deane, MD, PhD, Editor The ability to intervene at the earliest phases in the pathogenesis of a chronic…
The need to distinguish true primary systemic vasculitis from its multiple potential mimickers is one of the most challenging diagnostic conundrums in clinical medicine. This article reviews 9 challenging vasculitis…
The diagnosis of large-vessel vasculitis has experienced substantial improvement in recent years. While Takayasu arteritis diagnosis relies on imaging, the involvement of epicranial arteries by giant-cell arteritis facilitates histopathological confirmation….
The major manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) are caused by thrombosis within the venous or arterial vasculature, whereas the vascular lesions in systemic vasculitis result from an inflammatory infiltrate in…
