Dear readers,

It is my proud privilege to bring to you the September 2023 issue of the IRA e-Newsletter.

The issue starts with a message from our much loved and revered outgoing President, Dr BG Dharmanand, followed by the important announcement of the schedule for the IRA Elections 2023 by the election committee. Information sent by the members about the activities and events conducted by them in the last three months has been collated in this issue.

The topical theme for this issue is “Psoriatic Arthritis”. Drs Bimlesh Dhar Pandey and Ashish Jacob Mathew have provided succinct summaries on personalizing the therapy and what the future holds for treatment of Psoriatic arthritis respectively. Dr Pravin Patil has outlined the challenges faced in managing this disease in the Indian setting and Dr Rajiv Sekhri has listed the uncommon forms of psoriasis that a rheumatologist should be aware of.

A highlight of the issue is the interview with Prof Vikas Agarwal (former editor-in-chief of the Indian Journal of Rheumatology) who gives his views on the challenges faced in editing a rheumatology journal.

Drs Chengappa K, Vijay K Rao and Rakesh Pilania have brilliantly summarized the two most important publications in the last three months in each of basic science, clinical and paediatric rheumatology respectively.

In the young rheumatologist corner, Dr Aparna Reddy takes us through three cases, emphasizing why history taking, clinical examination and careful review of records remain indispensable, despite invent of any and every new investigation and modality. In a deviation from the routine, the corner also features the reflections and observations of a patient with long standing rheumatoid arthritis, which provide learning points for the care givers.

Prof Suma Balan wields her poetic magic in the rheumatology crossword. Do try and decipher the poetic clues before going to the answers section. Drs Akhil Goel and Satyam Bhatt showcase intriguing cases in the images of the quarter section for you to identify.

Drs Arun Hegde and Suvrat Arya outline their journeys in to the fields of photography and music respectively, and also discuss how these hobbies have helped them in life.

I sincerely thank all the members of the editorial board of the IRA e-Newsletter for their inputs and assistance in putting this issue together.

I would be most grateful if you could share this e-newsletter with your colleagues far and wide. Please give us your feedback on iraenewsletter@gmail.com.