Updates on Progress in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis

Updates on Progress in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis

Release Date: February 28, 2020
Last Reviewed: February 23, 2020
Expiration Date: February 28, 2021
Time to Complete Activity: 1 Hour

*This activity expired for credit on February 28, 2021 and is no longer available for credit

Faculty

Philip Seo, MD, MHS (Chair)
Associate Professor of Medicine
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Director, The Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center
Baltimore, MD

Timothy J. McCulley, MD
Vice Chair for Clinical Strategic Planning
Director, Oculoplastic Surgery
and Neuro-Ophthalmology
Director, Oculoplastic Fellowship
The Wilmer Eye Institute
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD

Kaitlin A. Quinn, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Rheumatology
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
Washington, DC

Victoria Ruffing, RN-BC
Director of Nursing and Patient Education
The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center
Baltimore, MD
This activity is provided by Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC.

Target Audience
This initiative has been designed to meet the educational needs of clinicians who diagnose and treat patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA), including rheumatologists, neurologists, and ophthalmologists. It may also benefit other clinicians who care for patients with GCA.

Statement of Need
GCA is a rare disease with presenting symptoms that are common to other diseases: headache and vision disturbances. The potential for rapid, irreversible vision loss makes GCA one of the few rheumatologic emergencies. Ophthalmologists, neurologists, and rheumatologists are challenged in diagnosing GCA. The proposed web activity is designed to disseminate firsthand knowledge from GCA specialists in GCA diagnosis, initial therapy, and using steroid-sparing strategies in ongoing therapy to reduce relapse risk.

Learning Objectives

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

Select appropriate imaging and diagnostic testing to identify GCA with large vessel involvement
Determine appropriate initial management of GCA using corticosteroids
Formulate evidence-based plans for ongoing management of patients with GCA to reduce the risk of relapse and reduce AEs

Agenda
Introduction
Giant Cell Arteritis as a Rheumatologic Emergency
Diagnosis of GCA
Initial Treatment of GCA with Corticosteroids
Steroid-Sparing Approaches to Ongoing Management of GCA
Tying it all Together

Physician Accreditation Statement
Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Physician Credit Designation Statement
Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

PA Continuing Education
PAs may claim a maximum of 1.0 Category 1 credits for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.

Nurse Practitioner Continuing Education
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME. Individuals are responsible for checking with the AANPCP for further guidelines.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Genentech, Inc.

Instructions for Participation
To receive a CME certificate of participation, you should:

Follow instructions to register or log in with your professional information and complete the pre-activity assessment
View the online activity in its entirety
Complete and submit the online posttest and evaluation.

A certificate of participation will be available for download/printing immediately following your successful completion of the posttest and evaluation

For questions regarding CME credit, contact the Paradigm CME Department at (845) 398-5949.

There is no fee required for participation in this activity.

Hardware/Software Requirements
This certified CME activity is designed using HTML5 video. As you navigate the video using the supplied controls, the slides will sync to the speaker.

Supported Browsers:
For Desktops (Windows/Mac)
Microsoft Edge 40 or higher, Firefox 28 or higher, Safari 5.1 or higher, Google Chrome 31 or higher, Opera 21 or higher

For Tablets (iPad/Android/Surface)
iOS Safari 4 or higher, Android 2.3 or higher, IE Mobile 10 or higher

Technical Support: If you have any technical problems or playback issues email us at contactus@paradigmmc.com.

Disclosures
In accordance with ACCME requirements on disclosure, faculty and contributors are asked to disclose any relationships with commercial interests associated with the area of medicine featured in the activity. These relationships are described below.

Philip Seo, MD, MHS
Consulting Fees: No financial relationships to disclose.

Timothy J. McCulley, MD
Consulting Fees: Genentech, Inc.

Kaitlin A. Quinn, MD
No financial relationships to disclose.

Victoria Ruffing, RN-BC
No financial relationships to disclose.

Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC staff members have no financial relationships to disclose.

Independent peer, resident/fellow and patient reviewers has no financial relationships to disclose.

Resolution of Conflict of Interest
Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC has implemented a system to resolve conflicts of interest for each CME activity to help ensure content is objective, fair and balanced, independent, and aligned with the public interest. Conflicts, if any, are resolved through one or more processes. All CME content in this activity was independently reviewed to ensure that it is free of commercial bias, scientifically rigorous, aligned with the public interest, and compliant with all regulatory guidance and the ACCME’s Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not approved by the FDA.

Disclaimer
This CME activity represents the views and opinions of the individual faculty, and does not constitute the opinion or endorsement of, or promotion by, Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC. Reasonable efforts have been taken to present educational subject matter in a balanced, unbiased fashion, and in compliance with regulatory requirements. However, each activity participant must always use his or her own personal and professional judgment when considering further application of this information, particularly as it may relate to patient diagnostic or treatment decisions including, without limitation, FDA-approved uses and any off-label uses.

If included, signed statements of informed consent granting permission for publication have been obtained for all photographs and videos in which an individual can be identified.

As an ACCME-accredited provider, Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC activities must include a balanced view of therapeutic options. Use of generic names contributes to this impartiality.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Disclaimer
The materials provided for this activity are for informational purposes only, and should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of a health problem without consulting a licensed medical professional. This CME activity represents the views and opinions of the individual faculty, and does not constitute the opinion or endorsement of, or promotion by, Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC. References to any entity, product, service, or source of information on this website should not be considered an endorsement, either direct or implied, by Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC. Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC, accepts no liability for the content referenced in this activity.

Privacy policy
Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC or hosted contracted partner is committed to protecting the privacy of those who participate in the activities located at www.paradigmmc.com (herein referred to as “website"). The information below describes the security of the website for safeguarding personal information and the rationale for collection and use of personal information.

Security/safeguarding personal information
This website has physical and procedural safeguards in place to prevent unauthorized access to personal information used to access this website.

Collection and use of your personal information
The submission of certain personally identifiable information is necessary to award and track the credits participants may earn after completing the program. Required items include first name, last name, degree, and email address. These items are necessary. Participants are also required to complete an evaluation of the CME activity. All evaluative information submitted is collected and retained, and used by Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC to continuously improve the learning experience.

Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC does not transfer, sell, or share personal information with outside parties. Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC will not otherwise disclose personal information unless required to in a legal process. Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC staff members review individual test results to the extent necessary to record and track participants’ credits.