Cytokine Storms in Rheumatic Diseases and COVID-19—Randy Cron, MD, PhD—Director of Pediatric Rheumatology, UAB Hospital

Director of Pediatric Rheumatology at UAB Hospital, Dr. Randy Cron, joins the show to discuss his work and research as a physician-scientist. In this episode, you will learn the following:

• What rheumatology is and how rheumatic diseases work
• How often chronic arthritis occurs in children
• How macrophage activation syndrome (a type of cytokine storm) may explain why some people become severely ill or die from COVID-19

Dr. Randy Cron holds an MD and a PhD in immunology. As a physician-scientist, he sees both sides of the coin: the research and the clinical medicine it informs.

Dr. Cron primarily sees patients in the field of pediatric rheumatology and is currently studying macrophage activation syndrome, which is a potentially life-threatening type of cytokine storm syndrome that is a complication of some rheumatic diseases and infections—including COVID-19. Dr. Cron aims to study the genetics behind this syndrome in order to identify patients who are predisposed to developing it, and to learn more about the pathophysiology of the syndrome in order to improve treatments.

He also explains the basics of certain rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and touches on a number of other interesting topics.

Tune in to learn more.