The British Society for Rheumatology has issued recommendations for UK rheumatologists on caring for their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click through for more details on the EULAR recommendations

Pausing methotrexate only after the second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine may provide the best balance between antibody response and risk for flare, findings from two randomized controlled trials suggest.

At the EULAR 2022 Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, two experts debated whether COVID-19 will have a lasting effect on rheumatology clinical practice.

Discussing the need for this guidance, the authors say that “[r]emote care and telehealth have the potential to expand healthcare access, and the COVID-19 pandemic has called for alternative solutions to conventional face-to-face follow-up and monitoring,” but more information is needed on “how telehealth should be integrated into routine clinical care.”

Zachary Wallace discusses the changes that have occurred in rheumatology practice as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and explores what lessons can be taken forward to improve patient care.

Findings from a US database study suggest that with the exception of rituximab, prior treatment with immunosuppressive medications is not associated with an increased risk for mechanical ventilation or death among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

With COVID-19 vaccination programs underway in many countries, we answer some of the key questions rheumatologists may have, drawing on recommendations from the main professional organizations.

EULAR has updated its points to consider on the use of immunomodulatory therapies for the treatment of COVID-19 in light of the most recent evidence.

The American College of Rheumatology has updated its guidance on COVID-19 vaccination for people with rheumatic diseases to include the timing of the third dose of mRNA vaccines in those taking immunomodulatory drugs.

However, please refer to your own professional and governmental guidelines for the latest guidance in your own country.

Initial data from the COVAX Registry offer reassurance for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases that adverse events with the COVID-19 vaccines are similar to those seen in the general population.

However, please refer to your own professional and governmental guidelines for the latest guidance in your own country.

Ted Mikuls, lead author on the ACR guidance for the management of patients with rheumatic disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, talks about how rheumatologists should best care for their patients at this time and explores some of the unanswered questions (8:08).

The American College of Rheumatology has issued clinical guidance recommending COVID-19 vaccination for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Two studies have evaluated the perspectives of people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases on COVID-19 vaccination, with both finding that a physician’s recommendation would improve patients’ willingness to be vaccinated.

We talk to the experts about the increasing use of telemedicine in rheumatology during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring what needs to be considered for different rheumatic diseases and whether telerheumatology is here to stay.

EULAR has issued guidance on the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and the potential use of immunomodulatory therapies for its treatment.

Ted Mikuls, lead author on the ACR guidance for the management of patients with rheumatic disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, talks about how rheumatologists should best care for their patients at this time and explores some of the unanswered questions (8:08).

We asked Aruni Jayatilleke, author on the American College of Rheumatology’s telemedicine position statement, to share her top tips on how to provide the best care via telemedicine (1:09).