Around the Rheum with Drs. Daniel Ennis & Janet Pope

Autoinflammatory diseases are often considered rare — but, in clinical practice, they may be far more common than we think. In this episode of Around the Rheum, hosts Dr. Daniel Ennis and Dr. Janet Pope speak with Dr. Jason An, a Toronto rheumatologist with expertise in autoinflammatory disorders.Together, they explore how these conditions differ from classic autoimmune disease, why adult rheumatologists should be thinking about them more often, and how to approach diagnosis when the presentation doesn’t fit neatly into familiar categories.Dr. An also shares practical strategies for recognizing autoinflammatory patterns, interpreting genetic testing, and using targeted therapies both diagnostically and therapeutically.In this episode we discuss:The evolving definition of autoinflammatory disease and how it differs from autoimmune diseaseWhy these disorders are not just pediatric diseases and may present in adulthoodA practical cytokine-based framework for classifying autoinflammatory diseasesThe four major inflammatory “buckets”:IL-1–mediated diseasesIL-18-mediated diseasesTNF / NF-κB pathway disordersInterferonopathiesClinical pattern recognition in patients with recurrent fevers and systemic inflammationThe role and limitations of genetic testing in autoinflammatory diseaseWhy variants of uncertain significance (VUS) may still be clinically meaningful in adultsUsing targeted therapies as diagnostic tools (colchicine, IL-1 blockade, JAK inhibitors)When rheumatologists should consider referral to an autoinflammatory disease specialistRecommended reading:Dr. An’s review on autoinflammatory diseases in The Journal of Rheumatology:https://www.jrheum.org/content/51/9/848Dr. Jason An, MD, MSc is an adult rheumatologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of autoinflammatory diseases who works in community practice in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)Around The Rheum is produced by the CRA Communications Committee. A special thank you to the podcast team, Dr. Dax G. Rumsey (CRA Communications Committee Chair), Dr. Daniel Ennis (Host), Dr. Janet Pope (Host) David McGuffin (exploreproductions.ca), and Erin Stewart (CRA) for leading production.Our theme music was composed by Aaron Fontwell.For more on the work of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, visit rheum.ca

Dr. Kam Shojania is a Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia, Head of Rheumatology at Vancouver General Hospital, and Medical Director of the Mary Pack Arthritis Program. He co-leads the DART Clinic at St. Paul's Hospital, a combined dermatology-rheumatology clinic focused on complex inflammatory skin and connective tissue diseases. Dr. Sheila Au is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Skin Science at the University of British Columbia and a medical dermatologist at St. Paul’s Hospital. She co-leads the DART Clinic and specializes in inflammatory and autoimmune skin disease, with a focus on morphology-based diagnosis and collaborative care.

A must-listen for anyone treating autoimmune disease or cancer in the era of immunotherapy.

Dans cet épisode d’Autour de la Rhumato, le Dr Hugues Allard-Chamard discute de la santé planétaire et des moyens d’intégrer la durabilité dans la pratique médicale avec les Dres Stéphanie Tom et Elizabeth Hazel.

Did you know that the healthcare industry has a bigger climate change footprint than the airline industry? In this episode of 'Around the Rheum,' hosts Dr. Daniel Ennis and Dr. Janet Pope join in conversation about how rheumatologists can help fight global warming with Dr. Stephanie Tom, the Rheumatology Division Head at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, ON and Vice President of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA).

A challenging case from Newfoundland featuring a 22-year-old male with severe fatigue, weight gain, requiring a wheelchair and who had to stop his studies and move back with his parents.

Dr. Gladman is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and and Emeritus Scientist at the Schroeder Arthritis Institute and Crumble Research Institute.

Dr. Alison Clifford is a rheumatologist and associate professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of Alberta. She has a research and clinical focus on Vasculitis, particularly giant cell arteritis. And she is an associate member of CanVasc.

Dr. Alec Yu is a PGY-4 resident doing his Rheumatology subspecialty training at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He has a particular interest in inner city health.

Highlights from Day 3 of the Canadian Rheumatology Associations 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting in Calgary Alberta

Day 2 highlights of the CRA Annual Scientific Meeting in Calgary with Dr. Daniel Ennis, Dr. Janet Pope, Dr. Mo Osman and Dr. Marinka Twilt.

Dr. Mo Osman and Dr. Marinka Twilt join Dan and Janet to break down the highlights of the first day of the CRA ASM in Calgary.

Anne-Laure Chetaille est rhumatologue adulte et pédiatrique au CHUL de l'Université Laval à Québec et professeure de clinique agrégée. Ses recherches portent sur les maladies auto-inflammatoires et l'arthrite juvénile idiopathique.

Dr. Sherry Rohekar is an associate professor in the division of rheumatology at Western University in London, ON. She has a MSc. in clinical epidemiology and focuses her research on clinical outcomes in patients with spondyloarthritis. She is currently on the executive committee of SPARCC.

Dr. Osman is a clinician scientist who is interested in better understanding the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis. He also uses point-of-care vascular devices for risk stratifying patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs).

Dr. Mendel is a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University and a Rheumatologist at the MUHC. Her research focuses on patient safety in systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, with an aim to improve medication safety. She was the first author on the CanVasc consensus recommendations for the management of ANCA vasculitis 2020 update.

Dr. Mendel is a scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University and a Rheumatologist at the MUHC. She was the first author on the CanVasc consensus recommendations for the management of ANCA vasculitis 2020 update.