Treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica: British Society for Rheumatology guideline scope

The last British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) guideline on PMR was published in 2009. The guideline needs to be updated to provide a summary of the current evidence for pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of adults with PMR. This guideline is aimed at healthcare professionals in the UK who directly care for people with PMR, including general practitioners, rheumatologists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, psychologists and other health professionals. It will also be relevant to people living with PMR and organisations that support them in the public and third sector, including charities and informal patient support groups. This guideline will be developed using the methods and processes outlined in the BSR Guidelines Protocol. Here we provide a brief summary of the scope of the guideline update in development

FDG PET-CT in rheumatological diseases

2-deoxy-2[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) PET-CT has revolutionized oncological imaging. The cellular processes that make cancer cells visible on FDG PET-CT also occur in a number of inflammatory cells. Exploiting this phenomenon has led to a growth of evidence supporting the use of FDG PET-CT in a wide range of infective and inflammatory diseases. Rheumatological diseases can affect multiple sites within the musculoskeletal system alongside multi-organ extra-articular disease manifestations. Inflammation is central to these diseases, making FDG PET-CT a logical choice. In this review article we describe the various applications of FDG PET-CT in rheumatological diseases using illustrative examples to highlight the beneficial role of FDG PET-CT in each case

A large two-centre study in to rates of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination and infection burden in rheumatoid arthritis in the UK

BACKGROUND: Infections are a common complication of RA with associated morbidity and mortality. The aetiology of increased risk is complex and multifactorial. Despite this, strategies to mitigate against risk of infection including vaccination are not always addressed in primary or secondary care with wide variation in practice from multiple small single centre audits. This study was a large two-centre survey of vaccine uptake in routine clinical practice and evaluated the relationship between vaccination and the burden of infection in RA patients. METHODS: A patient questionnaire was devised and disseminated through postal, clinic and phone survey at 2 UK rheumatology centres, detailing past vaccination history, reasons for non-vaccination, and history of recent infection. In a subset of patients, primary care vaccination data were also obtained. RESULTS: In total 929 patients responded to the survey. Over 85 % of patients were vaccinated against influenza, however only 44 % were vaccinated against pneumococcus. The vast majority of vaccination was undertaken in primary care. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 7.7 % of subjects recalled at least one episode of severe infection requiring admission, and nearly 40 % reported receiving at least one course of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Infections are common in RA and Rheumatologists need to be adept at recognising at risk patients and managing them appropriately. Influenza vaccination uptake is good whilst pneumococcal vaccination rates are comparatively poor. Collaborative approaches between primary and secondary care are required to maximise vaccine uptake, which is safe and recommended in RA patients. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-016-1187-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Additional file 1: of A large two-centre study in to rates of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination and infection burden in rheumatoid arthritis in the UK

Vaccination questionnaire. (DOCX 184 kb