Rheumatology

During 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.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending March 19, 2021.

In this video, Jack March, a physiotherapist specializing in rheumatology, demonstrates exercises for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) relief. He discusses providing exercises for patients, how to prescribe them, reasons to get patients to exercise, and the many benefits that come from engaging in a workout routine.

Guselkumab 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.

The diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) may be delayed by more than 2 years in half of patients, especially those of younger age at symptom onset, or with a higher body mass index (BMI) or enthesitis before diagnosis.

A majority of patients with active psoriatic arthritis achieved and maintained skin clearance, joint symptom relief through year 2 of treatment.

This 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.

Although associated with adverse effects, glucocorticoids are effective for managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and are prescribed to most patients. Test your knowledge of the prescription of glucocorticoids in RA with this quiz.

Pegloticase 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.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending March 12, 2021.

Pegloticase (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.

There 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.

Older adults who self-report rheumatoid arthritis (RA) do not have a Medicare claims history consistent with their diagnosis, according to study.

Subcutaneous 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.

Research suggests that adults who experienced 2 or more traumatic events during childhood are at a 100% increased risk to develop rheumatic disease.

In patients with psoriatic arthritis refractory or intolerant to biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), upadacitinib (Abbvie; Rinvoq) 15 mg and 30 mg once per day was more effective than placebo over 24 weeks in improving signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis.

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

Brian 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.”

The indication makes the IL-6 inhibitor the first biologic approved for treating pulmonary function in patients with the rare disease.

Readers may be surprised to hear that a high percentage of health professionals, about 70%, find it difficult to develop empathy with their patients.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) believe that prednisolone is a necessary medication, yet they are cautious about taking it due to the adverse effects, according to a new study.

Investigators 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.

In the second portion of this series, Dr. Concoff discusses the path forward in the evaluation and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Trials testing hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19 have produced mixed results.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending February 26, 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.”

Some treatments for rheumatic diseases have shown promise for treating COVID-19, but many should be avoided in patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. How much do you know about the use of treatments for rheumatic diseases in patients with COVID-19? Take our quiz to find out.

Investigators 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.

Improvements for pain did not sustain at the 12 month follow-up.