Rheumatology Diagnosis & Treatment Handbook: A Clinical Textbook Covering Autoimmune Pathophysiology, Joint Examination, and Evidence-Based Therapeutics for Internal Medicine Residents

The patient in front of you has new symmetric polyarthritis, mildly elevated inflammatory markers, a vague autoantibody panel from urgent care, and no clear diagnosis after three visits — and the next decision determines whether the joints survive the year. Reflexive empiric prednisone, a tentative methotrexate trial, and serial reassurance allow erosive disease to progress, treatment-resistant phenotypes to anchor, and irreversible damage to accrue while the diagnostic picture remains unresolved. This handbook delivers the diagnostic clarity, pathophysiologic reasoning, and treatment frameworks the practicing clinician needs to recognize, classify, and manage rheumatic disease at the level current evidence supports. Inside this book: • Twenty-three chapters across the modern rheumatologic spectrum — from clinical immunology through autoinflammatory syndromes, IgG4-related disease, and checkpoint inhibitor adverse events • Decision-grade frameworks for ANCA-associated vasculitis induction — rituximab, avacopan, and reduced-dose glucocorticoid protocols informed by RAVE, PEXIVAS, and ADVOCATE • Treat-to-target gout management — the dosing strategy and serum urate thresholds most patients on allopurinol never reach • Lupus across organs — classification criteria, nephritis biopsy interpretation, and targeted therapy selection from belimumab through anifrolumab and voclosporin • Pregnancy and rheumatic disease — preconception planning, medication transitions, and disease-specific management from conception through postpartum • Synovial fluid analysis at the bedside — polarized light microscopy, septic arthritis recognition, and the aspiration that prevents catastrophe • Modern osteoporosis sequencing — anabolic-first strategies, denosumab discontinuation pitfalls, and glucocorticoid-induced bone protection • Eighty-plus image prompts and clinical case presentations integrating diagnosis, therapy, and longitudinal management For internal medicine residents, rheumatology fellows, advanced practice clinicians, and practicing physicians who care for patients with rheumatic disease. Open the book and treat the next patient with the diagnostic precision they deserve.