RheumRounds

🎙️ Episode 12 – Scleroderma Renal Crisis: When Blood Pressure Is the Killer

“In systemic sclerosis, a sudden BP spike is never just hypertension.”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj explains how to recognize, prevent, and treat scleroderma renal crisis before irreversible kidney damage occurs.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• The high-risk patient profiles you must monitor closely
• The subtle and class...

🎙️ Episode 11 – Pulmonary–Renal Syndrome: Treat First, Confirm Later

“Two failing organs. One urgent decision.”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj explains how to recognize and act fast in Pulmonary–Renal Syndrome — one of the deadliest emergencies in rheumatology.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• The hallmark signs of PRS and how to spot them early
• Why you must start treatment before confirmation
• The ...

🎙️ Episode 10 – Why Normal Creatinine Doesn’t Mean Normal Kidneys

“The silent kidney damage you might be missing.”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj explains why creatinine can give a false sense of security, and how to detect early kidney involvement before it’s too late.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• Why creatinine is muscle-dependent, not just kidney-dependent
• The importance of eGFR, urine prot...

🎙️ Episode 9 – When to Suspect Vasculitis: Clues You Can’t Ignore

“The patient’s symptoms don’t match a single system — is it vasculitis?”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj shares the skin signs, organ red flags, and diagnostic approach that can help you spot vasculitis before irreversible damage occurs.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• Why multi-system symptoms should raise a red flag
• The difference...

🎙️ Episode 8 – ANA Positive, But Nothing Else: What Should I Do?

“Isolated ANA positivity: red flag or red herring?”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj unpacks one of the most misunderstood lab results in medicine — a positive ANA in an otherwise asymptomatic patient.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• What ANA really means — and how common it is in healthy people
• How to interpret titers and patterns
• When to investi...

🎙️ Episode 7 – Why Seronegative Doesn’t Mean Inactive

“No antibodies? No inflammation? Think again.”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj takes on a common clinical myth — that autoimmune diseases can be ruled out by negative antibodies.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• Why seronegative RA is still erosive and disabling
• How HLA-B27-negative axial SpA can be missed — especially in women
• When to suspect AN...

🎙️ Episode 5 – When RF Is Positive, But It’s Not RA

“Doctor, my Rheumatoid Factor is positive — do I have RA?”

Not so fast.

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj unpacks the diagnostic and prognostic value of Rheumatoid Factor (RF) — and why a positive result often leads to confusion.

🧠 In just 7 minutes, you’ll learn:

• What RF actually measures (and why it’s not specific)
• Non-RA causes of RF positivity ...

🎙️ Episode 5 – What’s the Real Value of ESR and CRP in Rheumatology?

“CRP is down, but the patient isn’t better. Now what?”

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj breaks down the two most overused — and misunderstood — inflammatory markers in clinical practice: ESR and CRP.

🧠 In this 7-minute deep dive, you’ll learn:

• How ESR and CRP actually work — and why they often don’t match
• Disease-specific pitfalls in...

🎙️ Episode 4 – Fatigue in Rheumatology: It’s Not Just the Inflammation

“My CRP is normal, doctor. So why am I still exhausted?”

In this powerful episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj dives deep into one of the most frustrating clinical realities — persistent fatigue in patients with autoimmune diseases, even when inflammation is controlled.

🧠 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why fatigue doesn’t always correlate with disease act...

🎙️ Episode 3 – Urine is Cheap. Renal Failure Isn’t.

In this episode, Dr. Aravind Palraj explores a test that’s often overlooked but can be lifesaving — the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR).

Renal involvement in connective tissue diseases is frequently silent — and by the time creatinine rises, significant damage may already be done.

🧠 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why UACR should be a routine part of CTD foll...

In this episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj breaks down a common clinical trap: when to repeat ANA.

📌 Learn why ANA is a gatekeeper, not a tracker

📌 Understand when repeat testing causes more confusion than clarity

📌 Hear the 3 clinical rules to follow before you re-order that test

🎙️ Host: Dr. Aravind Palraj

Senior Resident, Clinical Immunology & Rheumatology

Madras Medical College, Chennai

🔗 Follow on X: @Rheumat_Aravind

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In this debut episode of RheumRounds, Dr. Aravind Palraj shares a core clinical truth: “Don’t chase labs. Chase the story.”

We unpack why positive ANA or RF without symptoms can mislead—and how clinical reasoning must guide testing, not the other way around.

🎯 Perfect for: Rheumatology residents, physicians, and students

🩺 Topic: Lab interpretation, ANA pitfalls, story-based diagnosis

🎙️ Follow for daily clinical pearls in rheum...