21 September 2022
This month's spotlight on our eLearning platform focuses on Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). We speak to Prof Bhaskar Dasgupta, consultant rheumatologist at Southend University Hospital about his work in PMR.
When did you become interested in PMR and GCA?
I moved to the UK in 1983 and after two years as medical registrar at Musgrove Park in Taunton, I started my rheumatology training at Guy’s Hospital.
It was an exciting time as anti-TNF was just emerging as a novel treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. My interest in PMR and GCA came when I got a fellowship under Professor Gabriel Panayi from the Arthritis Research Council, now Versus Arthritis. I did a lab-based project and was the first to describe, using a cumbersome colorimetric bioassay, the elevation in Interleukin-6 associated with vasculitis and PMR GCA.
Tell us more about your career
I retired from Southend after 31 years where I spent 25 years at the helm of rheumatology. I was responsible for founding modern rheumatology services there, including SpR training programmes, introducing biologics and ultrasonography and a fast-track GCA clinic.
I was Clinical Director for R&D and led the first RCT of IM depomedrone in PMR and we described its first use as part of chrysotherapy induction in rheumatology. I was Chief UK Investigator for several landmark trials and over 350 original articles primarily on PMR and GCA.
What challenges are there in PMR?
It’s great to see PMR becoming more topical over the years. There are currently three large multicentre pharmaceutical industry sponsored trials looking at relapsing PMR, so it’s promising to have this investment and attention on the condition. Targeted therapies are urgently needed for relapsing PMR to spare steroid toxicity and improve outcomes.
You founded the charity PMRGCAUK, what does the charity do?
PMRGCAUK is the first national charity dedicated to PMR and GCA. It offers support to patients, raises awareness and we recently awarded our first research grant.
At the time, I was mainly diagnosing patients with GCA at a late stage when they were admitted with complications like fever ischemic deficit or scalp necrosis. I knew we needed to identify cases earlier. I introduced the fast-track GCA clinic, but we also needed to develop both professional and patient awareness.
I got together with patients across the UK in 2008 which ultimately became the charity it is today. We launched in 2010 and one of our most important aims is to reduce blindness and sight loss.
Many thanks to Prof Dasgupta for for sharing his expertise. Log onto our eLearning platform now where members can access a podcast with Dr Sarah Mackie and Dr Max Yates, an eLearning case, a webinar on imaging and articles of interest. You can also access our Talking Rheumatology Spotlight podcast series via Spotify and iTunes.