Estimation of the burden of shielding among a cross-section of patients attending rheumatology clinics with SLE-data from the BSR audit of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: We aimed to estimate what proportion of people with SLE attending UK rheumatology clinics would be categorized as being at high risk from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and therefore asked to shield, and explore what implications this has for rheumatology clinical practice.

Methods: We used data from the British Society for Rheumatology multicentre audit of SLE, which included a large, representative cross-sectional sample of patients attending UK Rheumatology clinics with SLE. We calculated who would receive shielding advice using the British Society for Rheumatology's risk stratification guidance and accompanying scoring grid, and assessed whether ethnicity and history of nephritis were over-represented in the shielding group.

BSR guideline on the management of adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 2018: baseline multi-centre audit in the UK.

Objectives: To assess the baseline care provided to patients with SLE attending UK Rheumatology units, audited against standards derived from the recently published BSR guideline for the management of adults with SLE, the NICE technology appraisal for belimumab, and NHS England's clinical commissioning policy for rituximab.

Methods: SLE cases attending outpatient clinics during any 4-week period between February and June 2018 were retrospectively audited to assess care at the preceding visit. The effect of clinical environment (general vs dedicated CTD/vasculitis clinic and specialized vs non-specialized centre) were tested.

The perplexity of prescribing and switching of biologic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis: a UK regional audit of practice.

Background: Biologic drugs are expensive treatments used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Switching among them is common practice in patients who have had an inadequate response or intolerable adverse events. The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) UK, which aims to curtail postcode prescribing, has provided guidance on the sequential prescription of these drugs.

To what extent is NICE guidance on the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults being implemented in clinical practice? A regional survey.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease associated with significant morbidity. The 2009 NICE guidance advises on the management of patients with RA. In this study, we undertook a survey to assess the implementation of the guidance into practice across the Midlands.

Compliance with NICE guidance on the use of anti-TNFalpha agents in ankylosing spondylitis: an east and west Midlands regional audit.

Here we report on an audit performed to examine compliance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the use of anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFalpha) in treating patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Data from 17 rheumatology centres across the Midlands were collected prospectively from patients with AS attending outpatient clinics and retrospectively in patients receiving anti-TNFalpha but not attending outpatient clinics during the audit. In total, 80% of the 416 patients for whom data were collected were male.

A 24-hour study to investigate persistent chemical exposures associated with clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.

The clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine continues to be a concern across the United States. Although the exposures associated with the actual production process have been evaluated, the persistence of those exposures in a residential setting have not been investigated. This study was designed to document the contamination associated with two red phosphorous methamphetamine "cooks" conducted in a residence and the associated exposures up to 24 hours after the cook.

An assessment of back pain and the prevalence of sacroiliitis in sarcoidosis.

Objectives: Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous multisystem disease in which arthritis is relatively common. Arthritis of the sacroiliac joints (sacroiliitis) has been described in sarcoidosis but is thought to be rare. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sacroiliitis in a secondary-care population of patients with sarcoidosis.