A patient with APS recently emailed me with a question about vaccinations for her two small children. Her concern was that her children may be genetically susceptible to having a reaction or could develop an autoimmune condition from their vaccinations. She like the rest of the general public has gotten conflicting information about vaccinations, not… Continue reading »
Public and Patient Education Department Program, October 17 and 24, 2006 Michael D. Lockshin, MD How many days before a colonoscopy procedure should a person with APS cease taking their prescribed 81mg of aspirin or other similar medications? The amount of time before a procedure should be approximately 1 week for aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix) or… Continue reading »
S.L.E. Lupus Foundation “Get into the Loop” NYC Hospital Tour, Public and Patient Education Department Program, November 3, 2005 Michael D. Lockshin, MD What is lupus? Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly called lupus, is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect virtually any organ of the body. In lupus, the body’s immune system, which normally… Continue reading »
Summary of a presentation given at the SLE Workshop at Hospital for Special Surgery Michael D. Lockshin, MD • What is Clinical Research? • Conducting Clinical Research: Safety and Confidentiality • Treatment Trials • Trial Phases • Kinds of Drugs Observed in Clinical Trials • Aims of Lupus Research • Lupus Clinical Trial Consortium •… Continue reading »
Three years ago, at a journal club presentation at our hospital and on the hospital web site, I expressed my opinion that the data then available suggesting an excess cardiovascular risk from use of Vioxx (rofecoxib) were inconclusive. I based this opinion on the following. The data compared a large dose of Vioxx (50 mg… Continue reading »
Adapted from a talk at The SLE Workshop at Hospital for Special Surgery A syndrome is a collection of events that constitute a specific illness. Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS) includes a series of symptoms as follows: Repeated clotting in veins (for example – a pulmonary embolus) or arteries (examples include a stoke, a blood clot… Continue reading »
Current Theories With some exceptions, autoimmune diseases affect far more women than men. For some time, physicians and researchers have been asking why this is so. The most popular theory to date has been that female hormones set the stage for diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren’s syndrome, and rheumatoid arthritis. But more recent… Continue reading »
At this time of year, patients with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune diseases always ask, “Should I get a flu vaccination?” At this time in our history, many patients are also asking, “Should I get a smallpox vaccination?” These questions are really about three more general questions: Are patients with autoimmune diseases unusually susceptible… Continue reading »
Summary of a presentation at the Living with RA Workshop at HSS The traditional answer to the question “Why are autoimmune diseases women’s diseases?” has been “It has to do with estrogen.” But that’s not a satisfactory answer because a lot of facts that don’t fit this theory. So the question has been researched with… Continue reading »
Adapted from a talk at The SLE Workshop at Hospital for Special Surgery Warning About Misuse of the Term What is Vasculitis? What Vasculitis is Not When Does Vasculitis Occur in Rheumatic Disease? When is Vasculitis an Important Complication of an Autoimmune Disease? Diseases in Which Vasculitis is the Specific Illness Vasculitis by the Size… Continue reading »
