Rheumatology

“During the pandemic, it was an absolutely critical lifeline to stay connected with our patients. But now that now that elements of the pandemic have been routinized and normalized, the risk benefit ratio of a telemedicine versus an in person visit has changed.”

Assessing disease activity is an important part of a treat-to-target strategy. How much do you know about the different approaches? Take this quiz to find out.

Besides the obvious stressors regarding the uncertainty of COVID-19 and implementation of telemedicine, other issues include the rheumatologist shortage, referred to as the “great resignation."

Patients with pediatric psoriatic arthritis will now have access to the first-in-class treatment option, ustekinumab.

Vitamin D supplements are often recommended for the improvement of bone health, but investigators say the data are unclear whether they prevent fractures.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 30, 2022.

Although a third dose of mRNA vaccine significantly increased antireceptor-binding domain (RBD) titer in a previous study, clinical factors associated with the immunogenicity in immunosuppressed populations have not been adequately studied.

Patients with high preoperative sleep quality, high preoperative albumin level, free of digestive disease and undergoing total hip arthroplasty procedure are more likely to be discharged within 2 days as opposed to 3.

The top 5 themes identified surrounded fear as the dominant emotion, social connections and work, physical health, self-identity, and self-management as a way of coping.

Despite advancements over the years, cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) continues to represent a high unmet medical need with no cure.

Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have elevated interleukin-23 (IL-23) levels have been linked to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and disease activity.

The US FDA has approved belimumab for the treatment of active lupus nephritis in children aged 5 to 17 who are currently receiving standard therapy.

“The psychosocial burden of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been shown to have a negative effect on the quality of life of the patients. In PsA, psychological disorders can both cause and exacerbate disease development.”

“Qualitative research has identified that caregivers face many challenges that affect their well-being, including balancing their child’s demands with their own psychological needs when feeling depressed or stressed, and accompanying the child to the frequent health appointments.”

The analysis determined improvement based on a variety of clinical assessments, including the Leeds Enthesitis Index (LEI), Leeds Dactylitis Index (LDI), and modified Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (mNAPSI) scores, at baseline and week 24.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 23, 2022.

The feasibility study, “Fatigue – Reducing if Effects through individualized support Episodes in Inflammatory Arthritis” (FREE-IA), tested the practicality of training, intervention delivery, and outcome collection prior to a trial that would analyze clinical and cost-effectiveness.

25% of patients presented with extensive blood-brain barrier leakage, which was linked to both cognitive impairment and shorter disease duration.

“Understanding the impact of COVID-19 infection on children and young people with RMDs is important to inform national protection, education (such as school attendance), and vaccination guidance."

Previous assessments of the prevalence of lupus were conducted in short periods of time, therefore limiting the insight into long-term trends and potential explanations for the observed patterns.

Dr. John Botson explains that gout is not a patient problem, it's a disease problem, and it needs to be approached as a lifelong rheumatic disease as opposed to an episodic one.

C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase protein produced mainly by liver hepatocytes in response to interleukin-6 (IL-6), is a non-specific marker of inflammation.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a higher risk of cancer, but does treatment of rheumatoid arthritis affect that risk? Test your knowledge with this quiz.

Treatment with apremilast was associated with extended time to biologic initiation when compared with treatment with methotrexate.

As treatment options expand in SLE with an increasing number of targeted therapeutics, we can be optimistic about the potential to improve disease outcomes.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending July 16, 2022.

"COVID-19 raises special concerns regarding its course and outcome among patients with IMIDs," investigators stated.

Further research examining a possible association between smoking, which was found more frequently in nADAb-positive patients, is warranted.

“These results show that emotional distress is associated with higher frequency of PFAPA attacks, thus may be considered as an environmental trigger for PFAPA attack," investigators stated.

Additional doses improved seroconversion and most vaccinated patients with lupus experienced a generally mild course of the disease.