MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE

Course overview

MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE (MCTD) IS A RARE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE DIAGNOSED WHEN A SPECIFIC ANTIBODY KNOWN AS ANTI-U1-RIBONUCLEOPROTEIN IS PRESENT, AND THERE ARE FEATURES OF AT LEAST TWO CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES, INCLUDING SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS, SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS, POLYMYOSITIS, DERMATOMYOSITIS, AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. DIAGNOSIS CAN BE CHALLENGING DUE TO VARIABLE AND DIVERSE SYMPTOMS UPON PRESENTATION AND THE CHANGES IN SYMPTOMS OVER TIME. NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS, STEROIDS, AND IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE AGENTS ARE MAINSTAYS OF TREATMENT. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND TREATMENT OF MCTD AND HIGHLIGHTS THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM'S ROLE IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.