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By Dr Irwin Lim, Rheumatologist

Chicago took about 20 hours of flying time to reach from Sydney, covering a distance of 9240 miles. It’s been worthwhile.

The 1st day on ground was a beautiful, sunny day. It was my day of sightseeing prior to the infusion of rheumatology: Millenium Park, the Art Institute, the Sears/Willis Tower (America’s tallest building) and an architectural tour along the river.

The next day, the weather turned. Much colder, wetter. Perfect for being in a convention centre. ACR 2011 attracted over 16,000 delegates. All aspects of rheumatology were covered: basic science and clinical, degenerative and inflammatory conditions, the common and the obscure. It’s impossible not to be stimulated in such an environment.

Some sessions I attended discussed:

• Small molecules, targeting JAK & SyK in rheumatoid arthritis
• Antimalarials, such as Hydroxychloroquine – history, current use & future directions
• T2T – the emphasis on treating to target in rheumatoid arthritis
• MRI imaging & TNF inhibition in Ankylosing Spondylitis
• The use of TNF inhibitors in Axial Spondyloarthritis
• “Did you brush your teeth today?”  - looking at the association between periodontal disease and autoimmune disease
• Gout: new directions for this most common inflammatory arthritis
• Coeliac Disease: an update
• Vitamin D and Calcium – discussing the calcium controversy
• Biosimilars and the difficulty in bringing biologic “generics” to market

At other ACRs, the jet lag always hobbled me. This time was better as I had 1 full day prior to my conference start to help reset the body clock.

In addition, I brought my iPad with a bluetooth keyboard attached. Wonderful for taking notes. This helped keep me awake and allowed me to even contribute to the meeting’s twitter conversation (#ACR2011 for those tweeps reading).

All in all, good fun and food for the brain.

Dr Irwin Lim is a rheumatologist and a director of BJC Health.

BJC Health provides a connected care multidisciplinary team philosophy to deliver positive lifestyle outcomes through a holistic approach to those with degenerative & inflammatory arthritis, tendon injury and lifestyle diseases. Our clinics are located in Parramatta, Chatswood and Brookvale. Contact us.

This blog focuses on arthritis-related diseases, healthcare in general, and our Connected Care philosophy.