Rheumatologist in Austin, TX

Rheumatology Patients and Coronavirus Update

We at Texas Orthopedics are committed to doing everything we can to keep our patients healthy and safe. If you are a rheumatology patient of ours, we are making special accommodations and recommendations including postponing all non-urgent in-office appointments.

The current recommendation for medications is that no patients should stop their immunosuppressive medications for the time being unless they are showing signs of infection or are directed otherwise on a case-by-case basis. We will update accordingly as recommendations change.

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance Summary for Patients with Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases

COVID-19 Clinical Guidelines for Patients with Rheumatic Diseases from the American College of Rheumatology

**COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINE has been approved for use. We encourage immunosuppressed patients that are eligible for the booster to consider receiving the booster if they wish, using the same vaccine they received previously. If you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, pick from either the Pfizer or Moderna booster. There is no current guidance at this time as to how long after the initial vaccine one should wait to receive the booster. 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the above, please contact our office via your patient portal or call us.

At Texas Orthopedics, we are fortunate to offer the services of board-certified rheumatologists for patients with autoimmune diseases that affect the musculoskeletal system. Dr. Robert J. Koval, Jr. and Dr. Joseph R. Martinez specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of especially challenging conditions caused by autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, gout, lupus, and others.

See more about arthritis facts in our infographic here.

Treatment can involve a combination of anti-inflammatory diet education, oral medications, and infusion or IV medications that are administered by specially trained nurses at Texas Orthopedics. We currently have two infusion centers to assist in the treatment of various rheumatologic diseases.

Rheumatologic conditions we treat:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Gout
• Lupus
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Psoriatic Arthritis
• Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
• Dermatomyositis
• Sjogren's Syndrome
• Vasculitis
• Scleroderma
• Lyme Disease
• Pseudogout
• Relapsing Polychondritis
• Reactive Arthritis
• Raynaud's Disease

Common medications for rheumatologic conditions include:

• Abatacept (Orencia®)
• Anti-TNF (Remicade®, Enbrel®, Humira®, Cimzia®, Simponi®)
• Azathioprine (Imuran®)
• Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®)
• Cyclosporine (Neoral®, Sandimmune®, Gengraf®)
• Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil®)
• Leflunomide (Arava®)
• Methotrexate (Rheumatrex®)
• Mycophenolate (Cellcept®)
• NSAIDs (Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Celebrex®)
• Rituximab (Rituxan® and MabThera®)
• Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine®)
• Tocilizumab (Actemra®)

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Learn more about common hand and wrist conditions and treatments in our patient education library.