Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: Where Are We with Diagnosis and Management?

Format: Webcourse

Credit(s): 1.00 (60 min)

Release Date: Apr 24, 2020

Expiration Date: Apr 24, 2021

Credit Type(s):

CME / AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
MOC / ABIM MOC Part 2 Credit

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare disseminating vasculitis that has a heterogeneous presentation. Because of this and its infrequent occurrence, it is often not considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with vasculitis. Diagnosis is further complicated by the lack of diagnostic criteria, causing most patients to experience diagnostic delays. In addition, there is little in the way of guidance for rheumatologists with respect to managing EGPA. In 2017, mepolizumab became the first agent approved by the FDA for the management of EGPA.

This activity, Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis: Where Are We with Diagnosis and Management?, will provide rheumatologists with strategies to more efficiently diagnose EGPA, develop individualized management plans, and recognize and manage disease relapse.

AGENDA

Welcome and Introductions
Current Recommendations and Expert Opinion on Diagnosing EGPA
Management Recommendations and Recent Developments
Activity Roundup

TARGET AUDIENCE

The intended audience for this educational initiative is rheumatologists, a specialty that manages patients with vasculitides. These clinicians have a high likelihood of encountering patients with EGPA.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

This program is designed to address ACGME and NAM competencies, including delivering patient-centered care and practicing evidence-based medicine.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

Implement strategies to assure the timely diagnosis of EGPA based on signs, symptoms, and laboratory study results
Develop individualized management strategies for patients with EGPA based on clinical presentation and laboratory results
Recognize signs and symptoms of disease relapse in patients being treated for EGPA

ACCREDITATION

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Boston University School of Medicine and Rockpointe. Boston University School of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CREDIT DESIGNATION

Boston University School of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

For information about the accreditation of this program, please email: cme@bu.edu.

ABIM MOC DESIGNATION STATEMENT

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

To receive CME credit and/or MOC points, you MUST pass the post-test and complete the evaluation. For ABIM MOC points, your information will be shared with the ABIM through BUSM’s ACCME Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). Please allow 6-8 weeks for your MOC points to appear on your ABIM records.

FACULTY

Rula A. Hajj‐Ali, MD, FACP
Associate Director
Center for Vasculitis Care and Research
Cleveland Clinic
Professor of Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
Cleveland, OH

Rula A. Hajj‐Ali, MD, FACP is a Professor of Medicine and Staff Physician at the Center for Vasculitis Care and Research in the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Disease, as well as Associate Director of the Vasculitis Center, at the Cleveland Clinic. She is board-certified in internal medicine and rheumatology.

Dr. Hajj-Ali is a graduate of the American University of Beirut Medical School in Lebanon. She performed her internal medicine training at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY and at the Cleveland Clinic, followed by a fellowship in rheumatic and immunologic disease at the American University of Beirut and the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases at the Cleveland Clinic. She joined the staff at the Cleveland Clinic in 2002.

Dr. Hajj-Ali has a particular interest in systemic inflammatory disease and vascular inflammatory disease, including systemic vasculitides, central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis, and inflammatory eye disease. Dr. Hajj-Ali is the Director of the Multidisciplinary CNS Vasculitis Clinic, which is a highly qualified multidisciplinary clinic that evaluates and treats patients with this tremendously challenging disease. She has presented her research findings at various national and international scientific meetings and her work has been published in leading professional and scientific journals.

She holds the Alpha Omega Alpha honor, was elected as one of “America’s Top Physicians,” and received the Cleveland Society of Rheumatology Best Fellow Award, as well as the Clinical Research Award from the American Heart Association. Dr. Hajj-Ali is a member of numerous societies, including the American College of Rheumatology and American College of Physicians. She has served on the Planning Committee for the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting and is a consultant for the Vasculitis Foundation.

Michael Wechsler, MD
Professor of Medicine
Director, NJH Cohen Family Asthma Institute
Department of Medicine
National Jewish Health
Denver, CO

Michael Wechsler, MD is Director of the National Jewish Health (NJH)/Cohen Family Asthma Institute and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at NJH in Denver, CO. His research focuses on clinical and translational asthma with an emphasis on clinical trials in asthma, novel asthma therapies, bronchial thermoplasty, asthma pharmacogenomics, and management of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (i.e. Churg-Strauss Syndrome [CSS]). He has led several studies focusing on novel biologic agents for asthma and related diseases, and has published more than 180 peer-reviewed manuscripts relating to asthma, CSS and eosinophilic lung diseases.

Dr. Wechsler was a member of the Steering Committee and site Principal Investigator (PI) for the NIH-sponsored Asthma Clinical Research Network (ACRN, now called AsthmaNet), a multi-center asthma clinical-trials consortium. He serves as the PI of the Denver site of the Precision Intervention in Severe/Exacerbating Asthma (PRECISE) network. A member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, Dr. Wechsler has participated in many different task forces related to the study of eosinophilic lung diseases that were sponsored by the NIH, the FDA, the European Respiratory Society, and the International Eosinophil Society. He is currently Associate Editor of the journal Chestand has served as Associate Editor of Allergy and on the editorial board of the European Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Dr. Wechsler received AB and MMSc degrees from Harvard University in Boston and his medical doctorate from McGill University in Montreal. He completed medical training at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and as part of the Harvard Combined Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Training Program.

DISCLOSURES OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

This educational activity has been produced in adherence with the policies and guidelines, including the Standards for Commercial Support, set forth to providers by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and all other professional organizations, as applicable, stating those activities where continuing education credits are awarded must be balanced, independent, objective, and scientifically rigorous.

Boston University School of Medicine asks all individuals, and their spouses/partners, involved in the development and presentation of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) activities to disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. This information is disclosed to CME activity participants prior to the start of the educational activity. Boston University School of Medicine has procedures to resolve all conflicts of interest. In addition, faculty members are asked to disclose when any unapproved use of pharmaceuticals and devices is being discussed.

Steering Committee

The steering committee reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Rula A. Hajj‐Ali, MD, FACP: Speaker: AbbVie

Michael Wechsler, MD: Consultant/Investigator: AstraZeneca, Equillium, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Restorbio, Sanofi Regeneron, Teva

Chan Kim, MD, BUSM Course Director: Nothing to disclose

Non-faculty Content Contributors

Non-faculty content contributors and/or reviewers reported the following relevant financial relationships that they or their spouse/partner have with commercial interests:

Terry Ann Glauser, MD, MPH; Blair St. Amand; Natalie Sanfratello, MPH; Elizabeth Drury: Nothing to disclose

DISCLAIMER

THIS CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES FOR QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS. IN NO EVENT SHALL BOSTONUNIVERSITY BE LIABLE FOR ANY DECISION MADE OR ACTION TAKEN IN RELIANCE ON THEINFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROGRAM. IN NO EVENT SHOULD THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROGRAM BE USED AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL CARE. NO PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP IS BEING ESTABLISHED.

FDA DISCLOSURE

The contents of some CME/CE activities may contain discussions of non-approved or off-label uses of some agents mentioned. Please consult the prescribing information for full disclosure of approved uses.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

In order to view this presentation, your computer must have audio capabilities (working speakers or headphones) and must have an internet browser capable of playing an HTML5 video.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS AND OBTAINING CME CREDIT/MOC POINTS

There is no fee for this activity. To receive credit, participants must take the pre-test, view this CME/MOC activity in its entirety, complete the post-test, with a score of 80% or better, and evaluation. The estimated time for completion of this activity is 1 hour. To receive their certificates, participants must demonstrate mastery of the presented material via the post-test. Participant is allowed to take the post-test multiple times.