UPMC's Dr. Kathleen Maksimowicz McKinnon provides an overview of the diagnosis of the types of vasculitis as well as immunosuppressive therapy for the disease. Several case studies are reviewed during the course of the presentation.

Educational objectives:

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Know the role of serologic testing in patients with primary systemic vasculitis
• Identify the masqueraders of vasculitis
• Recognize the role immunosuppression plays in the treatment of vasculitis

Reading Resources:

1. Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Mar;62(3):837-44. Erythrocyte C3d and C4d for monitoring disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus. Kao AH, Navratil JS, Ruffing MJ, Liu CC, Hawkins D, McKinnon KM, Danchenko N, Ahearn JM, Manzi S. Source University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. ahk7@pitt.edu
2. Drugs Today (Barc). 2010 Dec;46(12):919-28. An overview of pharmacotherapy for anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Stasi R. Source Department of Hematology, St George's Hospital, London, UK. Roberto.Stasi@stgeorges.nhs.uk
3. Rheum Dis Clin North Am. 2011 Nov;37(4):593-606. Neoplastic and paraneoplastic vasculitis, vasculopathy, and hypercoagulability. Park HJ, Ranganathan P. Source Division of Rheumatology, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St Louis, MO 63110, USA.

Disclosures:

Dr. McKinnon has no relationships with proprietary entities producing healthcare goods or services.

Accreditation Statement:

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of .75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Each physician should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Other health care professionals are awarded (0.075) continuing education units (CEU) which are equivalent to .75 contact hours.

For your credit transcript, please access our website 4 weeks post-completion at http://ccehs.upmc.edu and follow the link to the Credit Transcript page. If you do not provide the last 5 digits of your SSN on the next page you will not be able to access a CME credit transcript. Providing your SSN is voluntary.

Release Date: 2/9/2012 | Last Modified On: 2/9/2012 | Expires: 2/8/2013