GHIC BLOG

Hughes Syndrome – January 2019

Hughes Syndrome – January 2019

The year 2018 ended with a whimper – mild and grey.  No snow in London thank goodness.  For me the medical highlight of the month (and the year) was the awarding of The Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid al Maktoum award for medical services – an international medical prize...

Hughes Syndrome – December 2018

Hughes Syndrome – December 2018

 It’s wonderful when one gets to a meeting or a conference which is both outstanding, and at the same time, somewhat outside ones own circle of expertise or experience. So, a while ago, I found myself in a conference on metal allergies.  Organised by my good friend Dr...

Hughes Syndrome – November 2018

Hughes Syndrome – November 2018

For us, the warm late summer/autumn weather continued through into November.  The colours rival those of Maine. Our new education charity website (www.ghic.world), is now getting into gear.  We have been joined by Suzanna Magill, who, as Manager, will run our...

Hughes Syndrome – October 2018

Hughes Syndrome – October 2018

Summer lingers on – even in the season of mellow fruitfulness, the temperature is still high and here, at least in Kent, the gardens are parched. On Saturday, I gave the inaugural lecture in the Middle East Medical Congress, in the beautiful city of Beirut. This...

Hughes Syndrome – August 2018

Hughes Syndrome – August 2018

At last a summer to remember.  August – at least here in Kent, was hot and sunny.  The pleasure boats on the Thames were full.  London a town of tourists. Each month, arthritis doctors receive a magazine called “The Rheumatologist”.  This popular American magazine...

Hughes Syndrome – July 2018

Hughes Syndrome – July 2018

Wonderful.  Wall to wall sunshine.  Temperatures in the high 80’s and low 90’s.  (How deceitful I feel advising my patients to avoid the sun!). This month our monthly medical journal LUPUS, now in its 27th year, received news of its rising ‘impact factor’.  The annual...

Hughes Syndrome – June 2018

Hughes Syndrome – June 2018

What a month!  After such a gloomy and wet spring, all is forgiven.  June has been stunning.  Blue skies ever since the Royal Wedding, with temperatures in the 80’s.  The countryside glorious and London looking its very best. On the home front, our new educational...

Hughes Syndrome – May 2018

Hughes Syndrome – May 2018

At last, successive days of hot sunny weather! Last week’s royal wedding in Windsor was bathed in glorious sunshine and clear blue skies. My plane home from Lisbon descended into Heathrow directly over Windsor Castle – we could make out the dwindling crowds lining the...

Hughes Syndrome – April 2018

Hughes Syndrome – April 2018

April, at least here in the South East of England, has continued the long, dark, wet winter.  Even Scotland is doing better than us! The good news is that our website (www.ghic.world) is now fully up and running.  The feedback from patients and from doctors globally...

Hughes Syndrome – March 2018

Hughes Syndrome – March 2018

Wet, wet, wet.  March this year, at least here in the South-East, has been dreadful – rain, cold winds, snow and most of all, grey skies.  I swear that we have had less than 10 hours of sun this month. I hate to think what the nation’s average Vit D level is this...

Hughes Syndrome – February 2018

Hughes Syndrome – February 2018

Earlier this month, I took part in the 20th ‘Ten Topics in Rheumatology’ meeting in Barcelona. Over these past 2 decades, the ‘Ten Topics London’ and ‘Ten Topics Barcelona’ meetings have nourished a very strong link between our unit at St Thomas’ Hospital (and now at...

Hughes Syndrome – January 2018

Hughes Syndrome – January 2018

January 2018 is proving a dark, rather depressing start to the year.  A number of our team have been hit by the ‘flu’ epidemic sweeping the country.  Added to which, the sun has made only rare appearances so far. Last week I gave a lecture to colleagues in Cambridge. ...

Hughes Syndrome – October 2017

Hughes Syndrome – October 2017

In October, I was a guest speaker in Porto, Portugal. It was at an international immunology meeting, and one of the 2 days was devoted to Hughes syndrome/Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The meeting (as on previous occasions in Portugal), was outstanding. I was given...

Hughes Syndrome – September 2017

Hughes Syndrome – September 2017

One of the recurring themes of history-taking in patients with Hughes Syndrome – or even in those with the suspected diagnosis – is the difficulties so many patients face. For example, in her excellent book “Sticky Blood Explained” by Kay Thackray, she paints a clear...

Hughes Syndrome – August 2017

Hughes Syndrome – August 2017

I shouldn’t have mentioned the wonderful early summer – the rains came. London is special in August – no school runs, less commuters – and thousands of tourists adding to the buzz of the capital. Really special. An update on our new charity. We are making great...

Hughes Syndrome – June 2017

Hughes Syndrome – June 2017

Wimbledon has started in a blaze of sunshine. What a wonderful summer we are having (at least here in the South-East) - surely it can’t go on. June was, for me, “Midlands Month”. A lecture on Hughes syndrome, lupus and Sjogren’s to the annual meeting of The Royal...

Hughes Syndrome – May 2017

Hughes Syndrome – May 2017

Waiting for a taxi to take me back to Basel airport for the short flight home to London. As good a time as any to start writing the May ‘blog’. I have cut my travel this year – my only ‘away’ lecture this month was to Leeds…until this one-day meeting in the pretty...

Hughes Syndrome – April 2017

Hughes Syndrome – April 2017

Big news! A group of patients and doctors here have set up a new charity, whose main purpose is education. Specifically, its aim is to provide a website which links those suffering from Hughes syndrome and those involved in its treatment. We know that many countries...

Hughes Syndrome – March 2017

Hughes Syndrome – March 2017

This week we welcomed to the London Lupus Centre a visiting group of 10 nurses from Daytona State College, Florida. They have a particular interest in Hughes Syndrome, so we organised a mini symposium for them and also included a tour of the facilities in the Shard....

Hughes Syndrome – February 2017

Hughes Syndrome – February 2017

Early in January, I spent 5 days giving lectures in San Diego. Expecting California sun, Monica, my wife, came with me. Five days of rain! Only the Queen gets worse weather! However, thanks to our wonderful hostess, Anna Eslami, the visit was, for us, a happy success....

Hughes Syndrome – December 2016

Hughes Syndrome – December 2016

Treatment Choices, Treatment Failures I am writing this blog on the last day of the year – an eventful year both in politics and, for me, in medicine. For me the highlight of the year was the opening of the Graham Hughes Autoimmune Diseases clinic in Madeira. This...