Donald Thomas, MD

Decoding Love with Lupus: How the 5 Love Languages Can Transform Your Relationships When chronic illness enters a relationship, the language of love can sometimes get lost in translation. Dr. Gary Chapman's "5 Love Languages" theory offers a powerful framework for understanding how ...

😍 I can't believe it is almost Valentines Day!

www.morethanlupus.com/post/decodin...

From More Than Lupus

Types of Rash in Lupus: A Comprehensive Guide [February 2026 Update] Live Longer and Better with Lupus! Whether you are a lupus patient seeking practical, easy to understand tips, or a healthcare provider wanting to treat your patients better, The Lupus Encyclopedia pr...

⚡️Most #SLE patients will have cutaneous #lupus where it attacks their skin.

CLICK: www.lupusencyclopedia.com/types-of-ras...

I recommend that most lupus patients with cutaneous lupus also see a "medical dermatologist" regularly and especially see them for any unusual, new rash.

😍New AAO recommendations for HCQ screening

👉CLICK: www.aaojournal.org/article/S016...

Previously: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field (VF10-2) 10-2 as the screening tests of choice.

NEW RECOMMENDATION:

OCT plus a wide-pattern fundus autofluorescence (FAF)

😍New AAO recommendations for HCQ screening

👉CLICK: www.aaojournal.org/article/S016...

Previously: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual field (VF10-2) 10-2 as the screening tests of choice.

NEW RECOMMENDATION:

OCT plus a wide-pattern fundus autofluorescence (FAF)

👉 I've known for years that chromatin antibodies fluctuate predictably with #SLE #lupus disease activity in some of my patients. Now a study confirms this:

lupus.bmj.com/content/13/1...

Quinacrine [January 2026 Update] This article on quinacrine is one of the most practical & complete sources for doctors & patients on how it is RXd and potential side effects

💊Study shows adding quinacrine (mepacrine and Atabrine) to hydroxychloroquine, immunosuppressants, steroids improves disease activity and was safe in #SLE #lupus.

Link to "How to Prescribe Quinacrine:

www.lupusencyclopedia.com/quinacrine/

Link to the study:

lupus.bmj.com/content/12/2...

❤️‍🔥 #SLE #lupus:
lupus.bmj.com/content/12/2...

Moderate disease activity fullfills at least 1 of the following

Clinical SLEDAI: score between 4 and 8, excluding C3, C4, dsDNA. ​

Physician Global Assessment: > 1 and up to 2 on a 0–3 scale. ​

+ NO Severe SLEDAI and non-SLEDAI manifestations. ​

👁️ It is Winter time when dry eyes in #Sjogrens #SLE #lupus can worsen. There are many easy tricks to help your dry eyes. If those fail, ask your doctor about the products in the image. See my post here:
www.lupusencyclopedia.com/dry-eyes-and...

Top Dermatologist Tips For Itchy, Dry Skin in Lupus and Sjögren’s [January 2026 Update] Itchy, dry skin is common in lupus. Many lupus patients also have Sjögren’s disease overlap syndrome that causes dry skin, eyes, and mouth. Read this blog post to learn top dermatologist tips on dry s...

👉 Winter is the time of year when the air is typically very dry, leading to dry, itchy skin: a common problem for #SLE #lupus #Sjogrens. There are easy tricks to help dry, itchy skin:
www.lupusencyclopedia.com/dry-skin-in-...

The Lightness of Being: What to Leave Behind in 2025 As we step into 2026, many of us are doing the usual "New Year, New Me" dance. But when you live with Lupus or a chronic illness, that narrative can feel exhausting. We don’t need more "hustle"; we n...

www.morethanlupus.com/post/the-lig...

Blog #SLE #lupus

Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease: It Is Real! (Feb 2025 Update) Live Longer and Better with Lupus! Whether you are a lupus patient seeking practical, easy to understand tips, or a healthcare provider wanting to treat your patients better, The Lupus Encyclopedia pr...

UCTD explained in easy to understand language: www.lupusencyclopedia.com/uctd/

Looking Ahead: 5 Things to Be Mindful of When Navigating Lupus in 2026 If you are living with a chronic illness like lupus, you know that time is often measured differently. It’s measured in flare-ups and remissions, in appointments and lab results, and in the energy you...

A New Years blog post by @LupusMore
www.morethanlupus.com/post/looking...

The Lupus Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) The Lupus Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) [Thomas Jr., Donald E.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Lupus Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

The Lupus Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers, edition 2

⚕️ RHEUMATOLOGISTS & PATIENTS: Learn practical tips and tricks for managing #SLE #lupus and understanding this disease.
tinyurl.com/2u5nddcu

Lupus Lab Tests Explained: What Blood Tests Mean for Diagnosing and Monitoring Lupus Live Longer and Better with Lupus! Whether you are a lupus patient seeking practical, easy to understand tips, or a healthcare provider wanting to treat your patients better, The Lupus Encyclopedia pr...

🩸Be proactive when you have #lupus #SLE #Sjogrens. After lab draws, go online to look at results. Look up each abnormal lab to learn more about how they may relate to your situation. ALWAYS ask your doctor as well. "How do these pertain to my situation?":
www.lupusencyclopedia.com/lupus-lab-te...

Top Dermatologist Tips For Itchy, Dry Skin in Lupus and Sjögren’s [December 2025 Update] Itchy, dry skin is common in lupus. Many lupus patients also have Sjögren’s disease overlap syndrome that causes dry skin, eyes, and mouth. Read this blog post to learn top dermatologist tips on dry s...

❄️ It is that time of the year! Dry, itchy skin!
#SLE #lupus and #Sjogrens patients are especially affected. I updated my dry skin care blog with tips from a dermatologist specializing in dry skin. I updated the recommended soaps:
www.lupusencyclopedia.com/dry-skin-in-...

Dry Eyes and Lupus: Eye Doctor Tips and Tricks [December 2025 Update] Live Longer and Better with Lupus! Whether you are a lupus patient seeking practical, easy to understand tips, or a healthcare provider wanting to treat your patients better, The Lupus Encyclopedia pr...

👁️ Many #SLE #lupus patients have dry eyes that worsen during Winter. Often, it is due to also having #Sjogrens (occurs in one fourth of SLE patients and most are undiagnosed).

I updated my dry eye care post and included newer and better therapies:
www.lupusencyclopedia.com/dry-eyes-and...

Lowest in NE
Highest in South #SLE #lupus

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1191/...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39936240/

acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1191/...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39936240/

acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

😍A study shows that structured exercise and dietary changes improved energy and quality of life in #SLE #lupus .

journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....

- three 40-minute home-based regimens per week

- exercises aimed at large muscles

- Mindful eating

- Eat unprocessed or minimally processed foods

🔥 Knowing what to do for peripheral nervous system involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases like #Sjogrens #SLE #lupus is challenging. We now have evidence based guidelines that will help health care providers take better care of patients!
acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Dooren surprisingly showed that anti-Smith and RNP were reduced in tandem with antidsDNA. The fluctuations were not statistically significant, but numerically, they fluctuated with disease activity. I just checked a patient: her Smith DID as well.

acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

My Aunt’s cat, Molly, is a fan of my book but I don’t think she realizes it is upside down

This is my Aunt Nikki who I dedicated my 2nd edition of The Lupus Encyclopedia. She means a lot to me and I love her very much. Of course she is spoiling me with delicious food. Where would we be without those who love and believing us?

Michelle Miranda

Highly recommended: Michelle Miranda, Life Coach. Living well with chronic illness is about much more than taking medicines and seeing doctors: www.michellemirandalpc.com

🔥 Knowing what to do for peripheral nervous system involvement in systemic autoimmune diseases like #Sjogrens #SLE #lupus is challenging. We now have evidence based guidelines that will help health care providers take better care of patients!
acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Boy! I cannot believe it has been 33 years of continuous rheumatology board certification! ABIM Foundation just sent me this. I think I might know what I am doing by now :-)

My kitty

ACR Applauds Bipartisan Support for Prior Authorization Reform Bill | RheumNow The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today commended the more than 295 bipartisan, bicameral cosponsors of The Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act, which, if enacted, would reform the p...

rheumnow.com/news/acr-app...

Thanks to lawmakers at least for our Medicare patients! Let's HOPE the wealthy insurance company lobbyists don't pay off lawmakers to have this fail.

Then if it passes... we need this for ALL insurance companies and NOT just CMS (Medicare/Medicaid)

😍 I LOVE the @EULAR guidelines for 1st-line therapy for LN! If everyone did this IMMEDIATELY (include a CNI, obinutuzumab, or belimumab) instead of just mycophenolate or CYC with steroids, greater numbers of patients would go into renal remission & fewer to end stage renal disease! #SLE #lupus

Thanks Republicans and those Democrats who caved. This is the reality. You do not know what it is like to live pay check to pay check. You are hurting my patients!! These are posts on the lupus subreddit