Professor Bhaskar Dasgupta

Professor Dasgupta has been Head of Rheumatology and Clinical Director of Research & Audit at Southend University Hospital and holds Honorary Professorships at Essex University , Queen Mary’s University, London and Visiting Professorship at Anglia Ruskin University. He is one of the world’s foremost exponents on Giant cell arteritis , polymyalgia rheumatica and large vessel vasculitis and expert on GCA vascular ultrasonography.

He has had a lifelong interest in Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) and Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) and has published over 300 original articles on these topics. He was the first in 1990 to report elevated levels of interleukin-6 in these conditions which has opened up the vista of IL-6 blockade with tocilizumab and other therapies in GCA, LVV and PMR. He has led on several new clinical trials of IL-6 blocking and other therapies in PMR and GCA.

Professor Dasgupta was convenor and first author of the BSR guidelines on PMR and GCA in 2009 and is the senior author of the BSR GCA guidelines update published in 2020. Professor Dasgupta was the lead Investigator for the development of EULAR and ACR classification criteria for PMR. This study has also led to validation of patient reported outcome measures for PMR. He has led the EULAR ACR guidelines for PMR and has been member of several EULAR Task forces on Glucocorticoids, GCA core data set and Imaging recommendations.

He has pioneered the fast track pathway for GCA which not only saves sight but also cost - a cost effectiveness analysis done by NHS England showed this pathway to be very cost effective. Southend University Hospital was the recipient of the BSR Outstanding Best Practice Award for developing this pathway that has led to reduction of irreversible sight loss in GCA. There is an urgent need to develop ultrasound based fast track services for diagnosis and management of GCA, PMR and large vessel vasculitis.

Professor Dasgupta has organised several international symposia and imaging workshops dedicated to PMR GCA large vessel vasculitis. He is a leading international expert in vascular ultrasound as applied to large vessel vasculitis and has been a leading member of EULAR and OMERACT panels that have developed ultrasound definitions and imaging recommendations for large vessel vasculitis. He has developed the BSR online e-learning module for Ultrasound in GCA and Large vessel vasculitis. He has recently described the novel quantitative Halo Score for assessing outcomes in GCA and LVV and is leading the HAS-GCA study on this topic. He will be keen to develop educational and training meetings organized by the London clinic.

National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved Tocilizumab for GCA and LVV based on his work with guidelines as to the sub types i.e. Relapsing/refractory patients who are eligible for TCZ. His description of outcomes from Tocilizumab therapy in GCA has drawn the Paul Bacon Vasculitis Award from the British Society for Rheumatology in 2020. He is on the NICE panel adjudicating on the design of clinical trials that are being pursued for the approval in GCA and LVV. There is a need for developing tocilizumab offering services in London and surroundings.

He has helped found the PMRGCAUK, the first national charity dedicated to PMR and GCA and is the Honorary President of the national charity and patron for several regional groups and PMRGCA Scotland. This could be utilized to develop a patient support group for development of GCA services in London.