Advertise on podcast: Arthritis At Home (+ On the Go)

More than 21,000 British Columbians receive elective hip or knee joint replacement surgery each year because of advanced osteoarthritis. After surgery, most patients complete 6-12 weeks of physiotherapy but then receive limited and inconsistent support to return to regular physical activity. Many remain less active than recommended, even two years after surgery. In this episode of Arthritis at Home, Dr. Marie Westby discusses how community-based exercise programs may help bridge this gap by supporting long-term recovery, fitness, confidence, and social connection.  About Dr. Marie Westby Dr. Marie Westby is a physical therapy clinical resource educator at the Mary Pack Arthritis Program and a clinical associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia. Additional learning resources Joint Replacement Rehab (select the “Active Living” tab)Exercise guide for hip replacement surgeryExercise guide for knee replacement surgeryCanadian 24-hour Movement GuidelinesCanadian Orthopaedic Foundation’s Patient Resources

In this Arthritis At Home interview, we are sharing the #CRArthritis with Dr. Michelle Batthish, Associate Professor in Pediatrics at McMaster University, and Dr. Karen Beattie, Research Manager in Pediatrics at McMaster University, about unmet needs in pediatric rheumatology. The duo shares highlights from their feasibility study titled “Transition to Adulthood through coaching and empowerment in rheumatology (TRACER): A feasibility study protocol.” In the study, young adults transitioning to adult rheumatology care were able to connect with a coach to walk them through all matters relating to transitioning to adult rheumatology care. Michelle and Karen hope that by sharing this study, they will be able to gain interest in conducting similar studies across Canada in order to benefit youths in different areas of Canada. Additional learning resources  Road to Adult Arthritis CarePreparing for the transition from pediatric to adult care and beyondYouth Transition Road MapHelping You Reach Your Transition Goals guideParent and Caregiver Reference Guide

In this Arthritis At Home interview, we are sharing the #CRArthritis with Dr. Andreu Fernández-Codina, Assistant Professor in the Department of General Internal Medicine at Windsor Regional Hospital Manitoba. He defines what IgG4-RD is.  IgG4-RD affects about 10-12 out of 100,000 people and could lead to dysfunction of some organs and cause masses. It is often mistaken for cancer. Diagnosing it requires a biopsy because it allows health care providers to provide the right treatment in a timely matter. The diagnosis process may also require help from multiple specialists, including but not limited to ear-nose-throat specialists, neurologist, respirologist, and imaging experts.  Common symptoms include swelling of the pancreas, jaundice caused by stones or pancreatic cancer, and swollen eyes or face. Sjogren’s patients often end up getting IgG4-RD. If treated early, IgG4-RD is treatable and manageable. Treatment include prednisone, steroids, oral medications such as methotrexate to keep the disease asleep, rituximab, and inebilizumab.   Additional learning resources IgG4ward! Patient & Caregivers (based in the USA) Development of an algorithm for IgG4-related disease managementThe Diagnostic Dilemma in IgG4-RD: Why does getting to the right diagnosis sometimes take so long?

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Mollie Carruthers, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division Rheumatology at the University of British Columbia.   Dr. Carruthers discusses her collaborative workshop at this year’s meeting where she and her colleague share the progress that has been made in identifying, diagnosing, and treating IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). It is difficult to diagnose IgG4-RD as many symptoms mimic other diseases, and it is a very rare disease. She stresses the importance of having champions for IgG4-RD across different areas of Canada so that we can hear from others who have expertise and experience with IgG4-RD. Currently, Dr. Carruthers is working on building a Canadian IgG4-related disease network.   Additional learning resources   IgG4ward! Patient & Caregivers (based in the USA)IgG4-Related Disease 2019 ACR/EULAR Classification CriteriaIgG4-Related Disease Calculator 2019

In this Arthritis At Home interview, we are sharing the #CRArthritis with Dr. Liam O'Neil, Assistant Professor of internal medicine at the Max Rady College of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. Dr. O'Neil highlights key points from his workshop and presentation at this year’s meeting. His workshop, titled “CRA/CanRIO Living Guidelines for the Management of Baseline Immunosuppression for Pre-existing Rheumatic Diseases”, looks at the fine balance between immunosuppressant medications in rheumatic disease and immune checkpoint inhibitors drugs in cancer treatment which stimulates the immune system.  Dr. O’Neil’s podium presentation was titled “Citrullination of Neutrophil Serine Proteases Enhances Proteolytic Activity, Stability, and Autoantigenicity in Rheumatoid Arthritis”. He discusses some of the key terms and findings from his research. Lastly, Dr. O’Neil concludes by providing some tips for patients when they’re preparing for a visit with their rheumatologist. Additional learning resources Canadian Rheumatology Association/Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-Oncology Living Guidelines for Baseline Immunosuppression in Individuals With Preexisting Rheumatic Diseases Initiating Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Part 1: Preexisting Inflammatory ArthritidesPart 2: Preexisting Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic DiseasesOptimal Management of Immune Mediated Toxicity From Cancer Therapies (Canadian Rheumatology Association)

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Carter Thorne, Consultant Staff at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario.  Dr. Thorne discusses his workshop titled “Putting Patients at the Centre: The Care Transdisciplinary Team in Action.” He defines what trans-professional care is and how sharing of knowledge between each professional (physical therapist, pharmacist, nurse, doctors, rheumatologists, etc.) can ensure a more holistic approach to care. In his care centre, patients’ information is in the same database whether you’re at clinic or at the office, which helps ensure everyone is on the same page. Additional learning resources Centre of Arthritis Excellence (CArE)Constructing the program theory: An implementation science approach to understanding a successful interdisciplinary team-based model of rheumatology careArthritis At Home 286 – Optimal team-based rheumatology care: Health care professionals and patients experience

In week four of Arthritis Awareness Month in Canada, Arthritis at Home sits down with Ms. Pippa Mennell, member of the Arthritis Research Canada Arthritis Patient Advisory Board and person living with lupus.  In this episode and on the eve of the launch of Arthritis Consumer Experts’ new education course on lupus, host Cheryl Koehn and Ms. Mennell discuss the lived experience of the lupus journey, from initial symptoms to diagnosis and treatment and all things in between. They touch on: How different the lupus experience can be from person to person and what they can learn from each otherThe unease created by disease flares and the unpredictable nature of lupusLearning to be an active partner in their own careFatigue, mental health, physical activity and pacingPregnancy, sexual health, relationships and home and at workThe importance of education and the new JointHealthTM Education course on lupusWe hope you watch this important episode on living with lupus. Additional learning resources JointHealth™ Education – LupusArthritis Research Canada’s Arthritis Patient Advisory BoardNational Survey on Lupus Report: Part Two

Sixty-seven per cent (67%) of people with arthritis are women, making it the most reported chronic disease for women in Canada, but important gaps remain in our understanding of their experiences with diagnosis, treatment and daily life. In a new Arthritis at Home episode, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) President Cheryl Koehn talks about why ACE launched its National Survey on Women and Arthritis and what we hope to learn directly from women living with the disease.  Cheryl discusses some of the questions ACE wants the survey to help answer. Are women’s symptoms being taken seriously when they first seek care? Where are delays occurring between diagnosis and receiving the right treatment? How do arthritis and treatment decisions affect work, family responsibilities and different stages of a woman’s life?  She also explains how ACE plans to use the survey findings to identify gaps in care and develop specific recommendations for governments, public and private drug plans and other healthcare decision makers.  If you are a woman living with arthritis in Canada and have not yet completed the survey, we want to hear from you. The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes, and responses are anonymous.  Click here to take the National Survey on Women and Arthritis.

With Quebecers heading to the polls on October 5, Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) has launched its #Vote4Arthritis campaign to ensure the needs of people living with arthritis are part of the provincial election conversation.  In a new Arthritis at Home interview, ACE Founder and President Cheryl Koehn explains why the Quebec election is an important opportunity for people with arthritis to make their voices heard and what ACE is asking political parties and candidates to do to improve arthritis care.  The conversation looks at ACE’s election priorities, including earlier diagnosis and better access to care, timely access to advanced therapy arthritis medications, reducing surgical wait times, and improving equitable access to care across Quebec.  Watch the interview and learn how you can use your vote and your voice to help make arthritis care an election priority.  Additional learning resources  ACE’s Quebec Election PageACE Survey for Quebec Election Political PartiesQuebec Election Backgrounder

September is Arthritis Awareness Month in Canada, and Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE) is marking it with new ways for people living with arthritis to learn, share their experiences and advocate for better care. In a new Arthritis at Home interview, ACE Founder and President Cheryl Koehn talks about why Arthritis Awareness Month still matters and introduces three important ACE initiatives launching this September. At the centre of the conversation is The Arthritis Advocate, ACE’s new publication designed to help people become stronger advocates for themselves and others. Cheryl also discusses the launch of the National Survey on Women and Arthritis, which will generate new Canadian evidence about women’s experiences with arthritis, and ACE’s newest JointHealth™ Education course on Lupus. Additional learning resources The Arthritis AdvocateThe Arthritis Advocate: Vol. 1 – Welcome to the Arthritis AdvocateTake the ACE National Survey on Women and Arthritis

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Jaime Guzman, Pediatric Rheumatologist and Clinical Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital. He discusses about using statistics from juvenile arthritis cases to support his argument that medications should be tapered in patients with inflammatory arthritis in remission. Dr. Guzman highlights that about 50% of children living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis do not need medications by the time they are 18 years old. This percentage varies depending on the types of juvenile arthritis kids may have.  In addition, Dr. Guzman shares how arthritis affects and presents differently in adult and juvenile arthritis. The importance is early detection and early treatment. He concludes with a hopeful message that even though there are less medications available for juvenile arthritis, most children fair well on non-medicated therapies such as physical therapy and making lifestyle choices such as increasing exercise, rest, and asking for accommodations at school to prevent stress.  About Dr. Jaime Guzman  Dr. Jaime Guzman is a Pediatric Rheumatologist and Clinical Investigator at BC Children’s Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia. He specializes in treating children with rheumatic diseases and leads research on Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) outcomes, including the national CAPRI registry.  Additional learning resources Cassie and FriendsCanadian Alliance of Pediatric Rheumatology Investigators  Arthritis Consumer Experts’ About Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis page

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Kayla Chubbs, a resident in the rheumatology program at Dalhousie University. She defines what immune checkpoint inhibitor is and how it is used as a therapy to treat multiple types of cancer. While treating the cancer, they can put your immune system into overdrive and as a result, cause inflammatory arthritis or worsen an already existing inflammatory arthritis.   Dr. Chubbs’ study looks at whether health care providers should use the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index to measure function in this group of patients. In this group of patients, it is challenging to balance the number of immune-suppressive medication as it can negatively impact cancer treatment so instead of treating to remission, health care providers usually treat to improve function. Additional learning resources The Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-OncologyValidation of the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index in immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritisImmune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritis

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Ms. Alexandra Charlton, Lead Pharmacist in the Division of Rheumatology at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. She participated in The Great Debate at this year’s meeting arguing that medications should not be tapered in patients with inflammatory arthritis who are in remission.  Alexandra defines what it means to be in remission and describes how it is different for everyone and for each disease because different disease guidelines have different definitions of what it means to be in remission. She concludes the interview with a reminder that when considering tapering, people living with arthritis should consider their medical history, duration of disease, how difficult it was for them to get into remission, and their anxiety about medications or flare ups. A younger patient with milder disease will have a different disease experience when compared to an adult patient with more active disease. Additional learning resources The Lancet Rheumatology: Tapering of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: An overview for daily practiceThe Journal of Rheumatology: One-year outcomes after decision aid-led tapering of advanced therapy in rheumatoid arthritis JointHealth™ insight - Medication reimbursement coverage in Canada: A current snapshot

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Lihi Eder, a Clinician-scientist at Women’s College Hospital Research Institute and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada. She discusses the interaction between perimenopause and psoriatic arthritis, and how overlapping symptoms can appear as early as 5-7 years ahead of menopause.   Dr. Eder points to the need for patients, clinicians, and researchers to educate themselves on common symptoms and possible treatment options in order to make informed decisions.  Additional learning resources Cardio-Rheumatology Clinic at Women’s College Hospital Perimenopause linked to increased psoriatic arthritis activityHarvard Health – Perimenopause: Rocky road to menopause

In this Arthritis At Home, we are sharing this year’s #CRArthritis with Dr. Timothy Kwok, rheumatologist and clinician investigator based at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto. He explains what gout is and how crystals play a role in its development.   As part of his job, Dr. Kwok sees patients with all types of rheumatic and autoimmune diseases and dedicates half of his time on research, mainly focusing on gout. In addition, he highlights the care gaps that exist in gout and some key take away messages from his study. The study looks at what happened to patients before and after visiting the emergency department for gout. The sooner a patient can access treatment, the better the outcome. There needs to be a rapid access clinic to help diagnose gout faster.   Additional learning resources   Gout and other crystal arthropathies in CanadaHealthy changes for managing gout Arthritis Research Canada: Better Control of Your Gout – What you can do nowArthritis Consumer Experts’ About Gout page