American College of Rheumatology

Women using intrauterine devices with a family history of rheumatoid arthritis are at greater risk for the condition.

Running does not increase the risk for knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to study results presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. No increase in knee OA or knee pain was associated with habitual running in any age group in a study of over 600 individuals who reported running as a regular activity at some point in their lives.

Administration of the varicella zoster vaccine is safe in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or other rheumatic conditions who are taking biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, according to study results presented at the 2014 American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

Adjusting treatment to maintain tight control of disease-related disability reduces mortality in rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research presented at the 2014 American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

A Phase 3 trial of the monoclonal antibody secukinumab indicates it is an effective treatment for patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) incompletely treated by standard therapy, according to data presented at the 2014 American College of Rheumatology meeting.

The anti-arthritis drug hydroxychloroquine dramatically reduces the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the disease, according to research presented here at the 2014 meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

Study results show that antibiotic use in childhood more than doubles the risk of developing juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Although change in knee joint space narrowing depicted on radiographs is considered the gold standard for monitoring osteoarthritis progression and knee cartilage volume loss, the method doesn't account for extrusion of the medial meniscus, which new research suggests can better predict radiographic osteoarthritis change over time.

During their "Great Debate" keynote session of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2013 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA, two leading rheumatologists took direct aim at each other's significant clinical trial data to provide rationale for choosing biologics over triple therapy - or vice versa - as the treatment of choice for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Though rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to the general population, results from a pair of studies show that the biologic disease modifier Actemra (tocilizumab) may actually improve the cardiovascular (CV) profiles of RA patients.

Although rheumatologists have an array of disease measurement tools to choose from, they generally choose to ignore all of them when they're assessing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

As a follow-up to the initial establishment of Simponi (golimumab)'s safety and efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), researchers presented final 5-year data evaluating the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker's effects in RA patients taking methotrexate and those naïve to the biologic agent.

Though previous reports have described a link between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) development, a trio of studies has now offered clinical support to the contrary belief.

Although methotrexate with or without glucocorticoids (GCs) is commonly used as a first-line treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), study results show that combining the medication with two other traditional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) produces better outcomes in newly-diagnosed RA patients.

Noting that it takes an average of 5 years before a fibromyalgia patient receives a diagnosis, researchers conducted a retrospective data analysis to identify significant variables that may enable earlier detection and diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

Children born to mothers diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be twice as likely to develop autism as those whose mothers don't have the chronic autoimmune disease.

There is a lot of work involved in producing a successful clinical trial. Even the planning stage alone can take a significant amount of time. But when data is incomplete-especially in longitudinal clinical trials-it can be a real struggle for organizers.

One of the more exciting parts of the conference has been the ability to sit in and listen to highlighted studies that are selected by the ACR. This press conference features Carol Wallace, MD, Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Institute, Seattle, WA, speaking about her study and answering questions from the audience.

With more patients and practitioners expressing interest in non-Western modes of healing and other complementary and alternative forms of medicine, researchers are studying whether traditional Chinese methods like tai chi are effective in treating arthritis and other painful conditions.

Marcus Owen, MD, practices rheumatology and internal medicine in Nashville, TN. In this video, Dr. Joseph Kim talks with Dr. Owen about what he hopes to take away from this year's ACR conference and also speaks about some of the biggest challenges he faces in helping patients understand risk and benefit of medications.

Negotiating a contract for a position in academia, industry, or private practice can be a complex and nerve-wracking process, with many physicians unsure of which questions to ask and which elements of their compensation beyond salary are negotiable.

Although there is some evidence showing treatment with medical marijuana can benefit patients with arthritis, chronic pain, and other conditions, there are also serious concerns over quality control, non-standardized dosing, and other potential safety risks.

Transitioning an adolescent or teenager from a pediatric rheumatologist to an adult rheumatologist can be a very delicate and complicated process. With so many pitfalls along the way, it's easy to see why this problem has been occurring more and more. The good news? It's a very "fixable" problem.

With Medicare and Medicaid incentives scheduled to start this year, physicians owe it to their patients and their practices to learn about the requirements to qualify as meaningful users of health care technology.

Professor Anthony Woolf, Consultant Rheumatologist at the Royal Cornwall Hospital and Professor of Rheumatology at the Peninsula Medical School, Truro, UK, posed a very important question in his presentation at ACR on Monday: "How do we get policymakers to take musculoskeletal conditions seriously?"

In this video, Dr. Joseph Kim speaks about his experience at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

All practices should perform self-audits of their medical and billing records to ensure that they are properly documenting care and receiving the maximum allowable reimbursement.

Researchers using fMRI claim that the unique structural changes observed in the brains of patients with osteoarthritis can be used to predict placebo response.

In this interview Joseph Kim, MD, talks with Dr. Kenneth G. Saag about the major highlights of the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting.

James B. Maas, PhD, is a Cornell University professor who knows a heck of a lot about sleep and how it impacts our bodies. But this session focused less on how rheumatology was involved (although Maas did say it was up to rheumatologists to find the proper medication that would not impact their patients' sleep patterns), and more on the general need for a proper night's rest.