Recent Advances in Rheumatic Diseases: The Connective Tissue Diseases Other Than Rheumatoid Arthritis—1970 and 1971

Abstract

The most significant developments of clinical and pathophysiological interest in the connective tissue diseases (other than rheumatoid arthritis) during 1970 and 1971 are reviewed, with discussion of possible roles of virus and immunologic abnormalities in the pathogeneses of systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, and polyarteritis. Disturbances of the microvasculature seem to be characteristic of scleroderma. Criteria for classification of systemic lupus erythematosus and of polymyalgia rheumatica have been reported, as were studies of the epidemiology, natural history, and survivorship of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis. Therapeutic emphases have been on the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, polymyositis, polyarteritis, and Wegener's granulomatosis with steroids and cytotoxic agents. Guidelines for the use of cytotoxic drugs in rheumatic diseases have been described.