Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
teezl.bsky.social
Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
@teezl.bsky.social
6 followers 6 following 25 posts
Exploring rheumatology, bridging research & practice. Unraveling autoimmune mysteries. ☕ & pun lover 🥸, advocating patient care. Views are my own.
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Okay, only if you bring me a bracelet!
Dr. Angelo Gaffo emphasized that gout diagnosis relies on clinical presentation, serum urate, and imaging when available. Crystal confirmation is ideal but not always required. Context and tools matter. #ACR25 #gout #rheumatology
At #ACR25, Dr. Angelo Gaffo emphasized that serum urate can guide gout diagnosis, but timing matters. Levels often decrease during acute flares, underscoring the need for clinical context in interpreting sUA. #Gout #Rheumatology
Dr. Tim Kwok emphasized that “difficult-to-treat gout” goes beyond urate levels, involving persistent inflammation, reduced function, and higher healthcare use. A holistic approach addressing clinical, patient, and system factors is key. #2025GCAN #Gout #Rheumatology
Reposted by Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
Tim Kwok @uoftrheum.bsky.social on D2T gout, focusing on equity and who needs to get uricase based therapies

The D2T concept started with RA, has taken hold of axSpA and PsA, and now gout enters the chat

#GCAN2025 #ACR25
Reposted by Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
BUT CLOAK, a colchicine in knee OA RCT was negative.

Are we asking the wrong Q? Do we need a long duration on colchicine to detect tx benefit?

LoDoCo2 posthoc: colchicine reduced risk of jt replacement

#GCAN2025 #ACR25
Reposted by Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
OA & gout: both related to chronic low level inflammation thru IL-1b

Urate levels have been a/w OA progression & higher synovial fluid IL-1b levels in OA knees

Is there benefit of colchicine in knee OA?

#GCAN2025 #ACR25
Dr. Michael Pillinger: Colchicine continues to show potential CV benefits in gout. Cipolletta et al. found lower short-term MI/stroke risk with colchicine during ULT initiation (HR 0.72). Yokose et al. showed colchicine safer than NSAIDs, though not vs placebo.
#2025GCAN #Gout #Cardiology
Reposted by Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
⭐Ben Hemming - UAB

More on gout & CVD: recurrent MSU crystal injection induces macrophage protective tolerance. Studied in vivo (mice) and in vitro.

#GCAN2025 #ACR25
Reposted by Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
⭐Daniel Ward Phillips - UAB

Focus on gout & CVD: how does inflammation from MSU crystals cause ASCVD?

Studied in mice: fed a Western diet and injected with MSU crystals

Unique inflam response from EMP1+ macrophage-like monocytes

#GCAN2025 #ACR25
Dr. Jason Yang: In STOP Gout, achieving SU < 6 mg/dL was linked to flares with lower pain intensity and shorter duration (esp. in pts w/o tophi). Flare characteristics may serve as early indicators of ULT efficacy beyond flare counts.
#2025GCAN #Gout #Rheumatology
In the STOP Gout trial, 77% of pts achieved SU <6 mg/dL at or below the EasyAllo2-predicted allopurinol dose. Younger age, lower eGFR, and higher SU required higher doses, supporting EasyAllo2 for guided dose escalation.
Dr. Brian Coburn #2025GCAN #Gout #Rheumatology
#GCAN2025 Early Career Investigator abstracts

#ACR25
Dr. Hyon Choi presents new data supporting treat-to-target urate lowering in gout.
In a 10-year cohort (n=3,613), 95% of flares occurred with SU ≥6 mg/dL and 98% with SU ≥5 mg/dL. Flare rates rose sharply as SU increased, reinforcing the <6 mg/dL goal.
#2025GCAN #Gout #Rheumatology
Dr Hyon Choi (MGH Boston) #GCAN2025 on T2T ULT pragmatic trials in gout

#ACR25
Reposted by Thang Le, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, RPh
Dr Hyon Choi (MGH Boston) #GCAN2025 on T2T ULT pragmatic trials in gout

#ACR25
AI is advancing crystal disease diagnosis.
Deep learning models can now detect CPPD on hand radiographs, and machine learning of Raman spectra enables point-of-care identification of gout and CPPD.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology #AIinMedicine
In a national VA cohort (18,761 CPPD pts, 75,043 controls), nephrolithiasis prevalence was higher in CPPD (8.6% vs 5.1%). Adjusted OR 1.65 supports CPPD as an independent risk factor for kidney stones and a systemic mineralization disorder.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology
In >20,000 matched patients aged ≥60, CPPD was linked to a 29% higher risk of any fracture across spine and limb sites over 85,000 patient-years. Risk was consistent in both men and women, supporting bone health screening in CPPD.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology
In a Mass General Brigham cohort (1991–2022), 756 CPPD patients had higher 10-year ASCVD risk scores vs matched controls, despite similar CAC burden. Findings suggest factors beyond CAC contribute to elevated CV risk in CPPD.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology
From 20-year and 7-year cohort data, chondrocalcinosis was present in 5% at baseline and linked to higher odds of incident knee OA (OR 1.75). No consistent association with knee pain. CC may represent a distinct OA subtype.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology
In 51 patients with OA, ultrasound outperformed radiography for detecting CPPD (accuracy 0.78 vs 0.73). Combining both modalities added value only in select cases. US alone was more reliable for CPPD identification.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology
In a community cohort of 861, knee US detected calcium crystals in 13% of cases, linked to over 50% higher odds of moderate/severe pain and 60% higher odds of radiographic KOA. US-based diagnosis shows promise for broader KOA assessment.
Dr. Geraldine McCarthy #2025GCAN #Rheumatology