Sarcoidosis is a systemic multisystem inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. The disease is characterized by formation of non-caseating granulomas. The most common presentation is bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and lung infiltration, but the disease is very heterogeneous, with an unpredictable clinical course. Musculoskeletal manifestations are common. Bone involvement is less frequent, and usually occurs in patients with chronic multisystem course of the disease. They are most commonly found in the phalanges of hands and feet, and are usually bilateral. The skull, long bones, ribs, pelvis, and axial skeleton may also be affected. Osseous involvement may be asymptomatic but in some cases can cause a severe disability. Imaging techniques are important for diagnosis. Radiological investigations revealed sclerotic or destructive lesions (involving also joints), cystic and punched out lesions and cortical abnormalities. Biopsy is required for differential diagnosis with respect to malignancy. Treatment is a part of systemic therapy and is not needed in all cases. Glucocorticoids and TNF-a antagonists are used for management.

Dercum’s disease (adiposis dolorosa) is a rare disease of unknown etiology characterized by painful subcutaneous adipose tissue deposits with various localization over the body. The deposits occur histologically as lipomas and are associated with overweight or obesity and a variety of psychiatric disturbances (anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances). Classification of Dercum’s disease is related to size and location of adipose nodules (generalized diffuse, generalized nodular, localized nodular and juxta-articular forms). Diagnosis in based on clinical presentation and exclusion of a number of other disorders associated with lipomas. There is no generally accepted management of the patients. Liposuction or lidocaine application has been reported successful in some cases. Other therapeutic methods have been reported but their effectiveness is based on anecdotal descriptions only, and were not confirmed in clinical trials.

Tofacitinib is a newly approved small-molecule targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. The drug was designed as a selective and specific inhibitor of pro-inflammatory receptor signalling. Tofacitinib inhibits the process of intracellular signalling from the receptor to the cellular nucleus and inhibits the inflammation process via a new pathway (inhibition of the Janus kinases), which is unavailable to biological medicines. Tofacitinib has been approved for use in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe active RA. The drug may be used in combination with methotrexate or another conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug or in monotherapy. The efficacy of tofacitinib has been confirmed in several clinical trials. The drug inhibits radiographic progression of the disease. The innovative mechanism of action of tofacitinib is a noteworthy feature because it offers hope of effective treatment for patients who fail to respond to other drugs. The presented article discusses the mechanism of action and the clinical application of tofacitinib. Tofacitinib represents a new group of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs that can be placed on an equal footing with biological drugs already available.

Whipple’s disease is a rare, chronic, systemic disorder caused by Tropheryma whipplei infection. The most common symptoms are weight loss, arthralgia, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Other organ involvement can also occur in the patients. Joint manifestations may mimic rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis. Arthalgia, arthritis, spondylodiscitis, bursitis and/or tenosynovitis are seen in the majority of the patients. This explains why some of the symptoms are misdiagnosed as those of rheumatic diseases. Understanding of Whipple’s disease is important for differential diagnostics of several rheumatic symptoms.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by deterioration of the joints and associated with considerable pain and disability. OA is a chronic disease that requires intervention with both non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatment modalities and, inevitably, disease progression may necessitate successive treatments throughout the course of the disease. There is increasing data on the shortfalls of current pharmacological treatment of OA, and safety concerns associated with analgesic therapy use in OA arising from increasing evidence of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hepatic and renal adverse events with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Consequently, symptomatic slow-acting drugs for OA (SYSADOAs) may now be considered as a first-line treatment for knee OA, with a particular emphasis placed on the outstanding benefit: risk ratio of pharmaceutical-grade glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate formulations. In this short communication we review recent publications concerned with the safety of paracetamol, NSAIDs and SYSADOAs. Greater understanding of the benefits and limitations of current medications will lead to better disease management in OA. Furthermore, adherence to guideline recommendations across Europe and internationally, such as those from the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO), will promote evidence-based medicine and patient-centric care, ultimately leading to greater physician and patient satisfaction.