Pregnancy and Connective Tissue Disorders Doruk Erkan Lisa R. Sammaritano KEY POINTS Pregnancy-induced physiologic changes and the complications in pregnancy may make assessment of connective tissue disorder (CTD) activity during…
Childhood Rheumatic Diseases Thomas J. A. Lehman The rheumatic diseases of childhood represent a diverse group, both clinically and immunologically. Their etiologies are varied and their pathogeneses are unclear. Lyme…
Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis Richard Stern KEY POINTS Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) PMR is a common illness in individuals older than 60 years and is manifested by proximal arthralgia/myalgia,…
Systemic Sclerosis and Related Syndromes Robert F. Spiera KEY POINTS Scleroderma is a systemic fibrosing disease in which underlying vasculopathy plays a major role. Raynaud’s phenomenon is nearly ubiquitous in…
Sjögren’s Syndrome Stuart S. Kassan KEY POINTS Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a common autoimmune disease that may occur alone or in combination with any of the other autoimmune diseases such…
Antiphospholipid Syndrome Doruk Erkan Lisa R. Sammaritano KEY POINTS The origin of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies is unknown but is hypothesized to be an incidental exposure to environmental agents inducing aPL…
Dermatomyositis, Polymyositis, and Inclusion Body Myositis Petros Efthimiou Lawrence J. Kagen KEY POINTS Chronic, idiopathic skeletal muscle inflammation can be considered under three general types: dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), and…
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Jane E. Salmon Robert P. Kimberly Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) is a multisystem disease with a spectrum of clinical manifestations and a variable course characterized…
Rheumatoid Arthritis Ioannis Tassiulas Stephen A. Paget KEY POINTS Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease that affects predominantly the joints. Proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1…
Bursitis and Tendinitis Paul Pellicci Richard R. McCormack BURSITIS I. ANATOMIC CONSIDERATIONS A bursa is a closed sac that contains a small amount of synovial fluid and that is lined…
