A spectrum of immune dysregulation has been described following SARS-CoV-2 infections—from the cytokine storm in the acute phase, to hyperinflammatory syndromes that occur after...

The clinical spectrum of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) has broadened over the past half century from a simple disease characterised primarily by muscle and...

Dear Editor, Thrombosis is an unexpected complication of COVID-19 initially reported in 3 patients from China.1 These patients tested positive for immunoglobulin (Ig) A anticardiolipin...

Familial scleroderma was first documented in 1953 by Rees and Bennett who described the occurrence of a localised disease in a father and daughter....

The acronym SAPHO refers to a syndrome characterised by synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis and osteitis. In 1961, a link between acne conglobata and arthritis...

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease characterised by remissions and exacerbations that vary in severity and timing among people. Its chronic and degenerative course...

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used for the treatment of various rheumatic conditions including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The adverse effects of NSAIDs on...

Patient A, a 33-year-old male administrative coordinator presented with left buttock pain of 4 to 5 years duration which radiated down to the leg...

Locally injected intra-synovial corticosteroids are useful to target selected joint, tendon sheath or bursal inflammation in children with pauciarticular or polyarticular juvenile chronic arthritis...

Osteoporosis is becoming an increasing public health problem in most countries. Osteoporosis literally means “porous bones” and involves skeletal fragility leading to an increased...

Gout occurs in 3 overlapping phases: a long phase of asymptomatic hyperuricaemia, a period of recurrent acute gouty attacks separated by asymptomatic intervals (interval...

The relationship between lipid disorders and arthritis is manifold. Hyperlipidaemia may manifest clinically in the musculoskeletal system. In 1968, Khachadurian studied 14 families of...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis which is occasionally associated with extraarticular manifestations. Although the first good clinical description was by Landre-Beauvais...

Systemic sclerosis (SScl) is a generalised disease of the connective tissue characterised by fibrosis and vascular changes affecting the skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidneys,...

Since the discovery of X-rays over a century ago, radiology has played a pivotal role in rheumatology and diseases of the joints. The innovations...

Phospholipids (PLs) are components of cell membranes. Their function is not only to maintain the structure of the membranes but also to modify the...

In 1982, Davies and co-workers in Melbourne described the presence of a serum factor that stained the cytoplasm of neutrophil leukocytes by indirect immunofluorescence...

Immunologic tolerance is a hallmark of the immune system whereby immune cells are tolerant of self antigen. Historically, this tolerance was thought to be...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic rheumatic disease characterised by protean clinical manifestations as well as the presence of multiple autoantibodies. Tissue deposition...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus (“wolf” in Latin) in short, is an autoimmune disorder of unknown aetiology(ies) and characterised by diverse clinical manifestations...

The complex and non organ-specific nature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has made it difficult for researchers to unravel the genetic defects and pathogenic...

The fact that there is an increasing and growing need in societies for care of sufferers of rheumatic conditions can be shown from national...

The presence of multiple autoantibodies is the hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Many of these autoantibodies target nuclear antigens e.g. histones, Sm, RNP,...

Lupus nephritis is a common manifestation of lupus associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The use of cytotoxic agents has resulted in improved renal...

Although George Still first described systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) comprising fever, arthritis, lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly in 1897, it was not until 1971...

Gout is a common metabolic disease that causes arthritis which is often painful and sometimes disabling. It results from the deposition of monosodium urate...

Back pain is a common but often self-limiting problem. However, it is important to recognise causes of chronic backache such as ankylosing spondylitis which...

Patients with rheumatic diseases frequently consult primary care physicians, internists and orthopaedic surgeons. In the past, few doctors took interest in these diseases. This article...

The spondyloarthropathies (SpA) comprise a heterogenous group of conditions that include ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis/Reiter’s syndrome, arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel...

Patients with rheumatic disease are often immunocompromised as a result of either their disease or treatment. They may become ill either from a flare...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterised by symmetrical inflammatory arthritis. Most patients exhibit a chronic course. This article is available only as...

Cyclooxygenase inhibitors are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They have been used in the treatment of rheumatic diseases for several decades. This article is available only...

I am greatly honoured to deliver the 10th Seah Cheng Siang memorial lecture. I came into direct contact with Professor Seah in January 1965...

In the early 1700s, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, wife of the British ambassador to Turkey, introduced the practice of variolation against smallpox into Western...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic connective tissue disease with a reported prevalence of 5 to 100/100,000. Women are affected much more...

The theme of this issue of the Annals, Academy of Medicine at the beginning of the year is suitably on osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, with its...

Corticosteroids are known to affect bone through multiple pathways (Fig. 1), influencing both bone formation and bone resorption, and these mechanisms have been reviewed....

Primary meningococcal arthritis (PMA) and endogenous meningococcal endophthalmitis are both uncommon presentations of meningococcal infection that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of...

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) refers to patients’ perceptions of their own functioning and well-being. HRQoL is increasingly being used as a primary or...

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is seen in 0.5% to 14% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and is associated with a grave prognosis. The overall...

The only published study on Behcet’s disease in Singapore by Tan E et al (34 patients at the National Skin Centre) found that only...

Despite improved antimicrobial therapy over the past 30 years, there has been little change in the incidence, outcome, or, causative organisms in septic arthritis....

Joint aspiration with synovial fluid analysis can provide information which complements that which is available from the history and physical examination of the patient,...

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), also known as Forestier’s disease, is a non-inflammatory enthesopathy of unknown etiology. Affecting predominantly men, it results in flowing,...

A 74-year-old male with newly diagnosed melanoma of the right mastoid region, underwent resection of the lesion followed by F-18 fluoro-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed...

A good history and a detailed physical examination is often sufficient to make a diagnosis of a recurrent anterior dislocation of the shoulder, even...

A 48-year-old female presented with pain and swelling in the bilateral proximal interphalangeal (PIP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and wrist joints for the past 20 days....

Aseptic arthritis can often be associated with viruses— in the Singapore context—dengue or chikungunya viruses. The association of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) with arthritis however,...