RHEMATOLOGY TOPICS
1. Basic Sciences Relevant to Rheumatology
- Structure and function of synovium
- Cartilage biology and degradation
- Bone metabolism and remodeling
- Cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IL-17)
- Autoimmunity and tolerance
- HLA associations (e.g., HLA-B27)
- Inflammatory pathways (NF-κB, JAK-STAT)
2. Inflammatory Arthritides
A. Rheumatoid Arthritis
B. Seronegative Spondyloarthropathies
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Enteropathic arthritis
- Axial vs peripheral disease
- Enthesitis and dactylitis
C. Crystal Arthropathies
- Gout
- Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease
D. Infective Arthritis
- Septic arthritis
- Prosthetic joint infection
- Gonococcal arthritis
3. Connective Tissue Diseases (CTDs)
A. Systemic lupus erythematosus
B. Systemic sclerosis
C. Sjögren syndrome
D. Mixed connective tissue disease
E. Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies
- Polymyositis
- Dermatomyositis
- Inclusion body myositis
4. Vasculitides
Large Vessel
- Giant cell arteritis
- Takayasu arteritis
Medium Vessel
- Polyarteritis nodosa
- Kawasaki disease
Small Vessel
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Microscopic polyangiitis
- Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- IgA vasculitis
5. Degenerative & Mechanical Disorders
- Osteoarthritis
- Rotator cuff disease
- Tennis elbow
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Low back pain
6. Metabolic Bone Disease
- Osteoporosis
- Paget disease of bone
- Osteomalacia
- Hyperparathyroidism-related bone disease
7. Pediatric Rheumatology
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Kawasaki disease
- Henoch-Schönlein purpura
8. Miscellaneous Conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Sarcoidosis
- Behçet disease
9. Drugs Used in Rheumatology
Conventional DMARDs
- Methotrexate
- Sulfasalazine
- Leflunomide
- Hydroxychloroquine
Biologics
- TNF inhibitors
- IL-6 inhibitors
- Rituximab
- Abatacept
Targeted Synthetic DMARDs
- JAK inhibitors