Lana Pine

Early diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic arthritis leads to better long-term outcomes. Despite this, most patients have significant diagnostic delays.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has strongly impacted the lives of patients living with rheumatoid arthritis which has contributed to anxiety, depression, and reduced well-being.”

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending September 10, 2021.

“There is likely to be a bidirectional relationship between sleep and gout, as gout flares may be influenced by circadian rhythms, and sleep quality is likely to be influenced by gout flares,” investigators explained. “Given the morbidity associated with sleep problems, we should be vigilant regarding sleep health in our patients with gout.”

Catch up on Rheumatology Network's most recent highlights in COVID-19 news.

Disease activity, safety, and the occurrence of adverse events were similar in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis receiving either etanercept or the biosimilars Benepali and Erelzi.

Philip Conaghan, MBBS, PhD, discusses his presentation entitled, “Meaningful Improvements in WOMAC Pain and Physical Function in 3 Phase 3 Trials of Tanezumab in Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Osteoarthritis: A Responder Analysis.”

Despite the benefits of physical activity, participation is low, both within the general population and among individuals with osteoarthritis (OA). Activity monitors may aid in increasing these levels in patients with OA as well as in those requiring a total knee replacement.

The survey found that 22.3% (n = 62) patients reduced or interrupted treatment and only 3.9% (n = 11) patients stopped treatment entirely. The duration of disease (p = 0.023) and disease activity (p = 0.001) were significant contributing factors in the decision to discontinue treatment.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending September 3, 2021.

Clinical features of fibromyalgia are more common in participants who had postacute COVID-19 syndrome.

“Although the international recommendations and the wide consensus that glucocorticoids should be used as shorter as possible (ideally by 1–2 years), a high rate of prolonged steroid treatment is still recorded in the management of PMR,” investigators stated.

"Physical activity and exercise have been shown to improve general well-being and reduce cardiovascular disease risk in the general population," investigators stated. "Despite these recommendations, studies show that levels of PA are reduced among patients with axial spondyloarthritis.”

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 27, 2021.

“Juvenile idiopathic arthritis constitutes a significant cause of disability and quality of life impairment in pediatric and adult patients,” investigators stated. “Recent advances in JIA treatment addressing more specific targets have led to better short and long-term disease outcomes."

Factors that impacted poor outcomes in patients with COVID-19 were closely related to age and comorbidities, not rheumatic disease diagnosis. Increased risk was seen in patients receiving glucocorticoids.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact symptom severity, sleep quality, and mood in patients with fibromyalgia.

Results show a significantly higher risk of death and combined poor outcomes compared with patients without lupus and both with and without other comorbidities.

How much do you know about the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis? Find out now with our quiz.

The Epionics SPINE is an innovative tool to assess the spinal mobility of patients with axial spondyloarthritis.

Investigators set out to determine the effect on social media use in relation to disease severity and sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia.

Test your knowledge with our Rheumatoid Arthritis: 2021 Highlights quiz!

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 20, 2021.

In this retrospective study, investigators analyzed patients with newly diagnosed RA, to determine if short-term, low doses (< 10 mg/day) of prednisone would help DAS28-ESR score.

Susan Chrostowski, DNP, MS, APRN discusses her presentation, entitled “Demystifying Fibromyalgia for the Nurse and Advanced Practice Provider.”

Anakinra treatment may reduce mortality risk in patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19, especially for those with hyperinflammation.

Daniel Hernandez, MD, and Esteban Rivera discuss the study, “Social Listening: Factual vs. Misinformation YouTube Spanish-Language Rheumatoid Arthritis Videos,” presented at the 23rd Pan-American Conference of Rheumatology (PANLAR) 2021.

Bryant England, MD, discusses his presentation entitled, “Epidemiology of Multimorbidity in Rheumatoid Arthritis."

Test your knowledge of rheumatoid arthritis with our "Best of 2020" quiz!

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 13, 2021.