Lana Pine is the editor of HCPLive Rheumatology. She is an experienced editor and technical writer with a demonstrated history of working in the banking and publishing industries. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, listening to podcasts, and drawing. She can be reached via email at LPine@mjhlifesciences.com.
Survey Shows Positive Trends in Digital Health Applications During COVID-19 Pandemic
April 2nd 2021COVID-19 has created new challenges and opportunities in the way that rheumatologists care for chronically ill patients, including the introduction and prevalence of telemedicine and digital health applications (DHAs).
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Fatigue in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Linked to Anxiety and Depression
April 1st 2021While some patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) find it beneficial to receive anti-inflammatory therapy to treat their fatigue, there is increasingly more evidence that chronic diseases increase risk of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, which need to be treated differently.
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Tofacitinib Does Not Increase Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With RA
March 31st 2021Recently, a link between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitors has emerged, causing the FDA to recommend a black box label for tofacitinib in 2019. New research, however, suggests that tofacitinib had similarly infrequent cases of VTE (<1 per 100) when compared with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFIs).
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Recruitment Enhancement for Trials Aimed at Individuals At-Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis
March 30th 2021Investigators identified both facilitators and barriers for trial participation in patients at risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in order to enhance inclusion in trials designed to prevent RA.
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Patients With Rheumatic Disease May Be at Higher Risk of COVID-19 Related Pneumonia
March 25th 2021Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) may be more likely to acquire severe pneumonia due to COVID-19, especially in patients with autoimmune disease who are being treated with rituximab.
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Investigators Create Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Risk Probability Index (SLERPI) Diagnosis Tool
March 24th 2021Currently, diagnosing a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex process that compares potential lupus with other conditions. It can be challenging and delayed by a period of time, which increases patient uncertainty, referrals, healthcare utilization, increased flares, and organ dysfunction. In this study, machine learning (ML) via artificial intelligence tools based on patient data was used to develop an algorithm to help with SLE diagnosis.
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Anakinra Proves to Be an Effective Alternative Treatment for Gout Flares
March 23rd 2021During the study, which ran from December 2016 through May 2018, 301 flares were treated: 214 with anakinra and 87 with triamcinolone. Both treatment options reduced pain intensity for both first and subsequent flares.
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Guselkumab Sustained Long-Term Efficacy in Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis
March 18th 2021Guselkumab is the first and only approved IL-23 inhibitor therapy used to treat adults with active PsA and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO). The medication showed efficacy in skin clearance and joint symptom relief and passed safety measures. Additionally, physical function, health-related quality of life, and resolution of enthesitis and dactylitis were confirmed through week 100.
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Rheumatology Research Foundation Announces Additional Funds for Telehealth Studies
March 17th 2021This week, Rheumatology Network sat down to interview S. Louis Bridges, MD, PhD, to highlight the availability of funds for projects exploring telehealth. Bridges is the President of the Rheumatology Research Foundation, as well as Physician-in-Chief and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), as well as Chief of the Division of Rheumatology at HSS and Weill Cornell College of Medicine.
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Robert Keenan, MD: Efficacy of Combination Therapy for Gout
March 15th 2021Pegloticase in conjunction with immunomodulator combination therapy significantly increased pegloticase responder rates when compared with pegloticase monotherapy for patients with uncontrolled or refractory gout, according to a study. This week, Rheumatology Network interviewed lead investigator, Robert Keenan, MD, to discuss his findings.
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Methotrexate and Pegloticase Combination Therapy Proves to be Effective Gout Treatment
March 12th 2021Pegloticase (pegylated uricase) is medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to lower sUA in patients with uncontrolled gout. However, 26% of patients have infusion-related reactions (IRs), which may be indicative of the development of antidrug antibodies (ADAs). Due to this, physicians often administer immunomodulators in addition to pegloticase in order to prevent ADAs as well as increase the effectiveness of the therapy.
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Patients with Anti-Sjögren’s Syndrome Type A (Anti-SSA) Have Higher Risk of Neurological Involvement
March 11th 2021There were no differences in the occurrence of clinical characteristics between the subset of patients with and without neurological involvement, however disease activity was slightly higher in patients with neurological involvement than those without. Additionally, anti-SSA antibody was significantly higher in patients with neurological involvement and anti-SSB autoantibody was lower.
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Tocilizumab Approved by the FDA for Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease
March 9th 2021Subcutaneous injection of tocilizumab has been shown to improve the rate of lung function in patients with systemic sclerosis-induced interstitial lung disease when compared with a placebo.
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Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Events in Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
March 5th 2021Brian Skaggs, PhD, and Maureen McMahon, MD, sat down with Rheumatology Network to discuss the results of their longitudinal study, “A Panel of Biomarkers Associates With Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Events in Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.”
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Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Have an Increased Risk of Multimorbidity Burden
March 2nd 2021Investigators believe inflammation, which is known to begin before rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms appear, may be a main factor in the increased prevalence and incidence in multimorbidity for patients with RA.
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Initiation of Febuxostat Does Not Prolong Acute Gout Flares
February 26th 2021“We found that initiation of febuxostat administration during an acute gout flare did not prolong acute flares, and the rate of ‘treat to target’ was higher in the febuxostat group,” investigators concluded. “This may increase patient compliance.”
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Asthma and COPD Linked to Worse Outcomes for Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
February 24th 2021Investigators explored the connection between patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and an increased risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which concurrently correlated with worse patient-reported outcomes (PROs) cross-sectionally.
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Ixekizumab Shows Benefit in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis and Inadequate TNFi Response
February 23rd 2021Generally, guidelines recommend beginning psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis). However, not all patients respond to this method. Ixekizumab (IXE) improved the signs and symptoms of PsA in patients who had exhibited inadequate response to 1 or 2 TNFis.
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Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH: Overall Patient Experience (OPEX)
February 22nd 2021Rheumatology Network sat down with Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, the lead investigator for the study: OPEX: Development of a novel overall patient experience measure to facilitate interpretation of comparison effectiveness studies. In partnership with CreakyJoints, Fraenkel is a rheumatologist at Berkshire Medical Center and Director of Patient Centered Population Health Research.
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Benjamin Nowell, PhD: The Importance of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Experiences
February 19th 2021Rheumatology Network sat down for an interview with Benjamin Nowell, PhD, in partnership with CreakyJoints, to discuss his 2 most recent studies. Nowell is the Director of Patient-Centered Research at CreakyJoints, part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation.
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American College of Rheumatology Releases COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance
February 18th 2021The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has published guidance regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination for patients with rheumatic diseases, with emphasis placed on prioritizing immunocompromised patients to receive the vaccine.
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