CPD Accredited Christmas Lecture on Fibromyalgia Syndrome

The lecture 'Fibromyalgia in 2009: What It Is. What It Isn't. And What To Do About It' has been approved for CPD accreditation of 1 point by the Royal College of Physicians.

US rheumatologist and Fibromyalgia Syndrome expert Andrew J. Holman MD will be giving this lecture on Monday 22nd December, as part of a short visit to the UK. The lecture will be hosted by Prof John E. Davies, who leads the Fibromyalgia Syndrome clinic at Guy's Hospital.

This Christmas lecture presents a rare opportunity to hear and ask questions of an expert who is leading the way into new avenues of knowledge and treatment regarding Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

To register for the lecture, see the Events page.

The learning objectives of the event are:

1. To review the current understanding of the pathophysiology of Fibromyalgia Syndrome in order to increase delegates’ awareness of this topic.
2. To evaluate the use of imaging techniques for research into and the sub-classification of Fibromyalgia Syndrome.
3. To identify subgroups of Fibromyalgia Syndrome patients in order that delegates can assess the most appropriate treatment modalities for patients.
4. To review pharmacological treatment modalities for Fibromyalgia Syndrome in order to increase delegates’ awareness of this topic.

Delegates will acquire a greater understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome. They will be better able to identify the condition, including possible subgroups, and will be more able to suggest treatment modalities specific to individual patients.

Andrew J. Holman MD

Andrew J. Holman, MD, holds three concurrent positions as Chief Scientific Officer at Inmedix, LLC; President and Clinical Rheumatologist at Pacific Rheumatology Associates and Pacific Rheumatology Research, Inc.; and Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. He received his baccalaureate magna cum laude with departmental honors in chemistry from Bowdoin College and his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He served his internal medicine residency at Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, and a rheumatology fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Dr Holman is a member of several professional organizations, including the American College of Rheumatology and the Northwest Rheumatism Society, for which he served as president in 2005. He has participated in numerous pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic trials studying the role of the autonomic nervous system in Fibromyalgia Syndrome, chronic widespread pain and autoimmune diseases. He was instrumental in the initial discovery and further development of treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome using dopamine agonists and published the first randomized, placebo-controlled trials of these agents, including ropinirole and pramipexole.

After 15 years of clinical practice focusing on Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Dr Holman currently maintains a research practice to develop new diagnostic and treatment modalities. Recent research has included heart rate variability (HRV) assessment of autonomic tone to predict treatment response in inflammatory arthritis, exploration of obstructive sleep apnea as an important cardiovascular risk among patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, as well as evaluating a new type of pain related to intermittent, positional cervical spinal cord compression commonly found among patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome.

Recent publications include:

1. Wood PB, Holman AJ. The elephant among us: dopamine and the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia. J Rheum 2008 in press.
2. Holman AJ. Pragmatic consideration of recent randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials for treatment of fibromyalgia. Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2008 in press.
3. Holman AJ, Ng E. Heart rate variability predicts anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy response for inflammatory arthritis. Auton Neurosci. 2008 Jul 16. [Epub ahead of print]
4. Holman AJ. An alternative, autonomic rationale for decreased risk of myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis responsive to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy: comment on the article by Dixon et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Jun;58(6):1886; author reply 1886.
5. Holman AJ. Positional cervical spinal cord compression and fibromyalgia: a novel comorbidity with important diagnostic and treatment implications. J Pain. 2008 Jul;9(7):613-22. Epub 2008 May 22.
6. Wood PB, Holman AJ, Jones KD. Novel pharmacotherapy for fibromyalgia. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2007 Jun;16(6):829-41. Review.
7. Holman AJ. Considering cardiovascular mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis from a different perspective: a role for autonomic dysregulation and obstructive sleep apnea. J Rheumatol. 2007 Apr;34(4):671-3.