Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta

Professor Dasgupta is one of the foremost Rheumatologists specialising in the care and research on diagnosis and management of polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis and vascular ultrasonography. Professor Dasgupta is the ex-Head of the Rheumatology at Southend University Hospital and holds a Honorary Professorship at Essex University and a Visiting Professorship at Anglia Ruskin University and Honorary Professorship of Queen Mary University London. Professor Dasgupta has had a longstanding interest in musculoskeletal and temporal artery ultrasonography. He has lectured on the topic at international meetings and regularly hosts national and regional courses. Professor Dasgupta has developed the concept of point of care rheumatology ultrasound (POCRUS) to integrate MSK, vascular and salivary gland ultrasound within clinical algorithms for rheumatology practice. He has been lead investigator for several UK multi centre Studies and trials in polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis. He has published nearly 400 original research articles and reviews on PMR and GCA. His recent papers have been published in prestigious journals such as Nature Reviews, New England Journal of Medicine and Lancet Rheumatology. As Convenor he developed the British Society of Rheumatology guidelines on PMR and GCA which have been adopted by GPs in the United Kingdom. He was instrumental in the roll out across the NHS of a fast track pathway for GCA to reduce sight loss across the United Kingdom. Professor Dasgupta was a lead investigator for the development of EULAR and ACR classification criteria for PMR. This prospective study led to validation of patient reported outcome measures for the assessment of PMR. Professor Dasgupta has lead on several clinical trials in both PMR and GCA. These have led to publications in eminent journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine on RCTS for tocilizumab (GiACTA trial) and sarilumab (SAPHYR trial) in GCA and PMR respectively. He led development of EULAR ACR guidelines for PMR. He has developed the concept of GCA PMR spectrum disease (GPSD) published in Nature reviews Rheumatology. He has also developed the HAS GCA score - a prediction tool for GCA published in Lancet Rheumatology. He founded the PMRGCAUK first national charity dedicated to PMR and GCA. He was the first to clinically describe sacral fractures and has also led the fracture prevention service. He continues to organise international symposia and ultrasound workshops within the UK and at international centres dedicated to PMR GCA large vessel vasculitis and development of MSK ultrasound to study RA and other diseases.

Areas of interest: Rheumatoid Arthritis; Inflammatory Arthritis; Polymyalgia Rheumatica; Giant Cell Arteritis; Large Vessel Vasculitis; Gout and Crystal Arthritis; Psoriatic Arthritis; musculoskeletal and vascular ultrasound; Fibromyalgia; Osteoporosis; Sjogren's; Lupus; connective tissue diseases; inflammatory back pain; non-inflammatory regional pain; metabolic bone disease; Paget's disease; ankylosing spondylosis; soft tissue conditions; chronic pain; osteoarthritis; metabolic bone disease; back pain; Paget's disease; Vasculitis