Ingrid Torjesen

Data collected by doctors in Italy when the country was hit by COVID-19 should allow rheumatologists to feel more comfortable in advising patients with chronic arthritis to continue taking immunosuppressive targeted therapies. The data show that chronic arthritis patients treated with DMARDs do not seem to be at increased risk of respiratory or life-threatening complications from SARS-CoV-2.

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as hyperlidipaemia are not being picked up and managed in patients with rheumatology arthritis because it often falls through the gap between rheumatology and primary care provision.

High platelet levels within the normal range might be an early indicator for increased risk of osteoporosis, study suggests.

The jury is still out on whether there is a link between the use of bisphosphonates and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but doctors prescribing the drugs should bear in mind there may be a link, says the authors of a recent review published online in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Patients with severe and progressive rheumatoid arthritis are at risk for joint damage and deformities, especially of the hands, including ulnar deviation and swan neck deformities. In this quiz, we ask five questions on recognizing and treating aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.

The American College of Rheumatology has issued a series of COVID-19 guiding principles for healthcare professionals who treat patients with rheumatic disease. In this quiz, we highlight a few of the key points the organization, and other healthcare experts, have made in recent weeks.