Rheumatology

For the first time, Hospital for Special Surgery will host an international Osteoarthritis Summit in June 2011 that will bring together a comprehensive multidisciplinary group of world renowned scientists, thought-leaders and industry representatives from the US, Canada, and Europe.

A 48–year–old woman was admitted to the division of rheumatology because of swelling and mild pain in her right knee. In the previous 3 months, she had experienced several episodes of locking of the knee; on palpation, the knee felt like a“bag of nuts.” On physical examination, hydrarthrosis and the appearance of loose bodies were documented.

Researchers found that repairing a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or meniscal cartilage injury in the knee does not decrease the chances of developing osteoarthritis.

The frequency of surgeries for lumbar spinal stenosis among Medicare recipients decreased slightly between 2002 and 2007, but the use of complex procedures increased substantially.

Patient-derived tender and swollen joint counts may be used to help determine disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

lder community-dwelling women who receive annual high-dose cholecalciferol (vitamin D) experience more falls and fractures-and more fractures unrelated to falls-than those who do not. This unexpected adverse outcome may be dose-related.

A history of cancer is not a major risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but there is an increased lymphoma risk after RA diagnosis.

Children with Lyme arthritis have an excellent prognosis. Treatment of patients who have antibiotic-refractory Lyme arthritis with NSAIDs, intra-articular corticosteroid injections, or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is safe and effective, with no evidence of chronic arthritis, permanent joint changes, or breakthrough cases of persistent infection.

After a sharp decline in the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over the previous 4 decades, it appears to have increased slightly in women in more recent years, along with an increase in prevalence.

Traditionally recognized factors, such as age and biomechanics (abnormal physical loading), may play a role in the manifestation of intervertebral disk degeneration, according to researchers in the department of orthopaedics & traumatology at the University of Hong Kong. However, additional factors also may contribute.

Constitutional alignment of the leg (varus or valgus knee or foot rotation) may be a significant factor in determining the development and distribution of knee osteoarthritis (OA) but not isolated hip OA.

According to the results of an 11-year trial, researchers recommend administering disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) early and aggressively at the first sign of rheumatoid arthritis.

Although high-sensitivity C-reactive protein testing is effective in adult patients when traditional CRP tests do not provide enough information, the high-sensitivity test is not effective for pediatric patients.

Just over half of US men see a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant for routine care, compared to nearly three-quarters of women, according to AHRQ research.

Scientists from Medistem, Inc, together with the Stem Cell Institute, have published the results of a study that, for the first time, uses a patient's own fat stem cells for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Graduating medical school, "we" all stood and repeated, deep within our private solemnity, a modern version of the Hippocratic oath. Nowhere is a "we" to be seen. Instead, "I swear... I will keep... I will impart... I will follow..." transitions us from students to practitioners.

Almost half of patients that begin therapy on popular osteoporosis drugs discontinue their treatment within six months, according to an analysis by SDI, a healthcare market insight and analytics firm.

A roundup of recent articles in the clinical literature that look at the use of smartphones and apps in a variety of healthcare specialties and settings.

Research teams have come up with a possible explanation of why some commonly used drugs increase a patient's risk of breaking bones.

We spoke to Jay Parkinson, MD, recently to catch up on Hello Health, learn what new ventures he's involved in, and discuss his ideas on how to effectively improve the healthcare system.

(AUDIO) Stephen A. Paget, MD, Chairman of the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, speculates on how health reform might alter the RA landscape.

(AUDIO) The implications of international task force recommendations for future RA treatment are the focus of this discussion from Stephen A. Paget, MD, Chairman of the Division of Rheumatology at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

For runners suffering with knee pain, a twice weekly hip strengthening regimen may prove effective at reducing, or eliminating, patellofemoral pain (PFP).

The past few years, Apple's WWDC conference has been mostly directed at developers. But as Apple fanboys/girls have become increasingly interested in anything Apple-related, and with the anticipation of some iPhone 4G news, consumers have begun to come out in droves along with developers. For those of you who could not make it, we present the Cover It Live platform below, which will extract all conversations on Twitter related to this event, and will also include videos, pictures, and other resources our editors find relating to WWDC announcements and news.

Google may be looking for alternatives to Microsoft and selecting the right EMR requires more than just a checklist of functions.

Inflammatory arthritis includes a variety of diseases; the most common are rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis. A large proportion of patients seen in most rheumatology practices have inflammatory arthritis; these patients also are seen in the primary care setting, where they present initially before a diagnosis has been made. The inflammatory arthritides are chronic progressive diseases that can cause irreversible joint damage even early in the disease course.

The Associated Press has released some guidelines pertaining to social media terms and usage in the new AP Stylebook; some changes are long overdue, and others are a bit of a headscratcher.

If we're serious about reducing healthcare expenditures in this country, is reducing physician income an essential and inevitable component of meaningful cost control and healthcare reform?

Investigators presented new research that reveals a possible genetic basis for why Aromatase inhibitor-associated arthralgia (AIAA) occurs in breast cancer survivors and shows promise for treating the side effect without interfering with the drug's efficacy.

More than 1 million total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) are performed in the United States each year, and much higher demand is projected. Most TJAs are successful, but aseptic loosening of implants remains a problem that limits long-term success. Aseptic osteolysis, an inflammatory reaction, occurs in up to 10% of patients at 10 years postsurgery.