Quarter in Review: Basic Science
Upendra Rathore MBBS, MD, DNB, DM (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology)Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, SGPGI, Lucknow Study in focus 1: Endothelial cells drive organ fibrosis in mice by inducing expression of the transcription factor SOX9 Study Synopsis Fibroblasts are the major players involved in organ fibrosis owing to a chronic disease stimulus. […]
Tips for Reading Randomized Controlled Trials
Mike Putman MD, MSciRheumatologist, Associate Program Director of Internal Medicine, Associate Program Director of Rheumatology, Medical Director Vasculitis ProgramAssistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA 1. What are the primary factors to consider before delving into a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)? Before you start, consider […]
Finding your research interest in Rheumatology
Amita Aggarwal MD, DM (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology)Professor & Head, Department of Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 1. What initially sparked your interest in pursuing research? My interest in research started very early in my training when we used to participate as volunteers in studies at AIIMS, New […]
JAK inhibitors and Comorbidities
Sanat Phatak MD, DM, MRCPAssociate Consultant, Rheumatology & Immunology, KEM Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra JAK inhibitors, chiefly baricitinib and tofacitinib received US-FDA approval for use in multiple rheumatological illnesses including rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. There has been a recent increase in the use of tofacitinib by rheumatologists, physicians, and orthopaedic surgeons in India; this coincided […]
Comorbidities in Rheumatology: How I treat
Varun Dhir MBBS, MD, DMProfessor, Internal Medicine (Rheumatology Division), PGIMER, Chandigarh Targets of hypertension and choice of antihypertensives. Despite a lowering of blood pressure cut-off for treatment to 130/80 (ACC/AHA2017), I usually start treatment for hypertension only above 140/90 mm. The one exception is lupus nephritis, where I start treatment above 130/80mm Hg. My go-to […]
Comorbidities in rheumatology – a two-way street
Vijaya Prasanna Parimi MD, DMSenior Superspecialist, Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, ESIC Medical College and Superspeciality Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana, Hyderabad Autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AIRDs) and comorbidities have a complex bidirectional relationship due to shared risk factors and systemic inflammation. Comorbidities may accentuate AIRDs, and AIRDs can make it difficult to treat associated comorbidities, which has […]
Activities and Events
Activities and events conducted by IRA members in the past 3 months A patient education program – ROSHIKA® was organized for Lupus patients on 30th March 2024 by the department of Rheumatology at AIIMS, New Delhi. – Ranjan Gupta, Delhi Patient support program (WHIRA Mind & Joint Interface Support group) – Mana Sandhi – a […]
From the IRA Secretary’s Desk
Vinod Ravindran MD, MRCP (UK), MSc-Rheumatology (King’s College, London, UK), CCT-Rheumatology (UK), MRCP-Rheumatology (UK), FRCP (Edin)Director, Centre for Rheumatology, Calicut, Kerala Dear Colleagues, We are pleased that our members could organised several activities to celebrate and support the month of April 2024 as Rheumatology Awareness Month and made it a resounding success. This year’s primary focus was […]
From the Executive Editor
Pankti Mehta MD, DM Clinical Immunology and RheumatologyClinical Fellow, Lupus and Psoriatic Arthritis Fellowship Program, Rheumatology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto. It is with great pleasure that I present to you the June issue of the IRA e-newsletter for the year 2024, centred around the theme of “Holistic Health in Rheumatology with […]
From the Editor
Vinod Ravindran MD, MRCP (UK), MSc-Rheumatology (King’s College, London, UK), CCT-Rheumatology (UK), MRCP-Rheumatology (UK), FRCP (Edin)Director, Centre for Rheumatology, Calicut, Kerala Dear Colleagues, I hope you will like the IRA e-newsletter’s second issue this year. I thank all the members for their appreciation and constructive feedback on the previous issues. I welcome Dr. Sunitha Kayidhi, Dr. Vikramraj […]
