Departments

We offer coordinated, multidisciplinary clinical care for people with rheumatoid and other types of inflammatory arthritis, as well as osteoarthritis and a variety of autoimmune diseases, including lupus, scleroderma, myositis, and vasculitis. Our physicians are experts at diagnosing and treating more than 200 types of rheumatologic disorders, some of which are difficult to pinpoint. Rheumatic disorders affect the joints, muscles, and bones and often include autoimmune diseases that disrupt the body’s immune system by causing inflammation and breaking down connective tissue and related body structures. We work closely with other specialists at Yale including pulmonologists, nephrologists, gastroenterologists, cardiologists, allergists, neurologists, dermatologists, surgeons, and orthopaedists to care for complex rheumatic and autoimmune diseases. Specialized care is offered in the following areas: Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome Rheumatoid arthritis and other types of inflammatory arthritis Scleroderma and myositis Systemic lupus erythematosus Transition program for young adults Vasculitis State-of-the-art infusion sites at Yale New Haven Hospital and in the Yale New Haven Health Interventional Immunology Center in North Haven Full array of imaging and laboratory services Nationally recognized clinical research programs that are integrated with clinical care to offer the most advanced treatments to patients with arthritis and autoimmune diseases

If a child is complaining of pain in the joints, muscles, bones, or tendons—or exhibits other symptoms of arthritis—a pediatrician might recommend seeing a pediatric rheumatologist. We have the expertise to care for a child’s specific needs when it comes to autoimmune and rheumatologic disorders and related conditions.

Addressing the challenges faced by patients with all forms of inflammatory arthritis, our program focuses on three components: patient care, patient education, and clinical research designed to advance our knowledge and treatment of arthritis. We offer expertise in adult rheumatology, laboratory medicine, and radiology. The key to the effective management of inflammatory arthritis begins with the correct diagnosis. We arrive at all decisions about medical therapy in collaboration with patients; each one is unique, and we aim to optimize the treatment of each individual. We work closely with our colleagues in physical and occupational therapy to ensure that patients have appropriate guidance in physical activities and rehabilitation, if indicated, and orthopaedic surgery to ensure they have access to up-to-date approaches in joint surgery, if necessary. One of our main goals is to educate patients about their disease, appropriate therapies, and resources available to those living with inflammatory arthritis. We encourage patients and their family to participate in all aspects of decision-making about their disease management. We work together to help our patients achieve a high quality of life.

Spondyloarthritis is a group of inflammatory diseases affecting the spine and joints that affects about 2.7 million Americans, or nearly one in every 100 individuals. Disorders in this group include ankylosing spondylitis (also known as axial spondyloarthritis, or axSpA), psoriatic arthritis, arthritis related to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and reactive arthritis. The most common symptom is chronic low back pain; patients can also have pain and swelling of joints, tendonitis, heel pain, psoriasis, and inflammatory disease of eye called iritis, or uveitis. The Yale Spondyloarthritis Program was established in February 2019 to provide comprehensive care to patients with spondyloarthritis and to conduct research aimed at finding treatment strategies and discovering biomarkers for early and accurate diagnosis and management. Our program provides coordinated care in a wide range of specialties related to Spondyloarthritis. Our team of experts includes rheumatologists, a physical therapist, rehab medicine specialist, spine surgeon, pain specialist (for musculoskeletal disease), as well as dermatologists, a gastroenterologist, ophthalmologist, psychologist, nutritionist, and cardiologist. In addition to providing clinical care, our program emphasizes patient education, support, and involvement. We provide beginner- and advanced-level patient education and offer a patient support group. Our patients are also able to participate in clinical trials. Our team is committed to improving early diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis—despite the availability of effective medications, patients experience back pain, disability, and poor quality of life due to delayed diagnosis and lack of timely referrals. In fact, the average delay in diagnosis of axSpA is 8 to 11 years. We seek to improve awareness and early diagnosis through education campaigns that include lectures, group discussions, and social media directed at non-rheumatology physicians.