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Best of 2023: 2022 EULAR Recommendations for ANCA-associated Vasculitis
EULAR has published the 2022 update on recommendations for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). AAV recommendations were last published in 2016, and since, research and clinical trials have advanced our understanding of AAV. A EULAR task force of 20 experts from 16 countries, reviewed the literature and developed four overarching principles and 17 recommendations.
Read ArticleBest of 2023: Time to Risk Stratify Methotrexate Lab Monitoring?
A longitudinal cohort analysis has developed a prognostic model that informs a risk stratified approach to monitoring blood tests during long term methotrexate (MTX) therapy.
Read ArticleICYMI: Methotrexate: shall we split up?
Methotrexate is widely used in rheumatic diseases yet poses common tolerance issues, especially for the oral form; and bioavailability is known to be limited for doses over 15mg. In the SMART study, Prasad et al. present the first RCT comparing either single dose (25 mg) or split-dose (10 mg morning, 15 mg evening, same day) once weekly MTX for 24 weeks.
ICYMI: ACR Plenaries: Changing the Practice of Rheumatology
Over the years of navigating the annual meeting, I found the sessions with the most impact to my practice were the Plenary Sessions. During these sessions, the latest research is presented, new ideas are floated, and old myths debunked. Here are the top ACR2023 Plenary abstracts I found impactful for my practice.
Read ArticleEULAR 2023 Recommendations on Fatigue
Fatigue is highly prevalent in inflammatory rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (I-RMDs) patients, is often unaddressed and yet it has significant effects on patient quality of life. A EULAR task force set out to develop recommendations for the management of fatigue in people with I-RMDs.
Read ArticleICYMI: Here at Last: Treatment Options for VEXAS
We have known about the VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome for nearly 3 years, but there has been relatively little to say about how to treat it. To date there have been over twice as many publications about VEXAS (263 publications) as there have been patients described with respect to treatment strategies (116 patients). One of the late breaking abstracts may finally have rectified this imbalance.
Read ArticleCDC: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 2021-2022
The current CDC report estimates that 1.3% of adults had myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), based on the most recent population based National Health Interview Survey (NHIS 2021–2022).
Read ArticleCBT or Naltrexone in Fibromyalgia (12.8.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. Be sure to catch the early registration break for 2024 RheumNow Live.
Read ArticleFDA Warning on CAR-T Cell Therapy
On Nov. 28, 2024, FDA issued a safety alert regarding CAR-T cell immunotherapies; noting reports of T-cell malignancies (CAR-positive lymphoma) arising in patients treated with BCMA- or CD19-directed autologous CAR T cell immunotherapies and that if there is a risk, this only applies to currently approved BCMA-directed and CD19-directed genetically modified autologous CAR T cell immunotherapies.
Read ArticleSlower Weight Loss May Affect Osteoarthritis Survival
Arthritis & Rheumatology has published a new study that suggests knee or hip osteoarthritis patients who are overweight or obese may have less premature death if slow to moderate rate of weight loss results from anti-obesity medications.
Read ArticleICYMI: Who gives a ‘JAK’ why and how they work, as long as they do!
Several abstracts have studied the mechanism of action of JAK inhibitors (JAKi) in various diseases. JAKi alter many other mediators affected by the JAK STAT pathway. For instance, T cell signature in blood that is proliferative was associated with a response in RA.
Read ArticleVenous Thromboembolic Risk with Joint Replacement
The role of thromboprophylaxis following total hip (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is uncertain and consensus is lacking. A recent study suggests that thromboprophylaxis strategies should be tailored to individual risk of thrombosis and bleeding.
Read ArticleICYMI: Towards Personalised Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Since the millennium, we have seen an expansion in the number of advanced treatments both biologic and targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis. The challenge remains on how best to characterise the subtypes of RA in order to choose the best drug to ensure optimal outcome for patients.
Read ArticlePost-Menopausal Osteoporosis Review and Recommendations
A recent New England Journal review of post-menopausal osteoporosis (OP) provided updated information, strategies and a review of guidelines and clinical recommendations. Here are the salient highlights.
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