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Surprising Link Between Weight Gain and RA Activity
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with infliximab (Remicade), increases in body mass index (BMI) scores over time were not associated with increased disease activity or faster radiographic progression.
Read ArticlePMR & Popeye's Spinach (10.6.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the big PMR reports from this week along with other journal reports from RheumNow.com.
Read ArticleSustained Efficacy of Bimekizumab in Psoriatic Arthritis
BE OPTIMAL trial tested the benefits of a dual IL-17 A/F inhibitor, bimekizumab (BKZ), in patients with active psoriatic arthritis and showed superior efficacy over placebo, that was sustained beyond the primary endpoint, from week 16 to 52.
Read ArticleSAPHYR Trial: Sarilumab Wins in Relapsing Polymyalgia Rheumatica
NEJM reported today that polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) patients who fail to respond to standard doses of prednisone therapy, were significantly better when given the IL-6 inhibitor sarilumab (than placebo).
Read ArticlePredictive FDG-PET in Newly Diagnosed GCA
Annals of Internal Medicine reports that the use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET imaging at the time of a giant cell arteritis (GCA) diagnosis may help estimate the risk for aortic aneurysm formation.
Read ArticleGout Flare Prophylaxis - Colchicine or NSAIDs?
Flare prophylaxis is the standard when initiating urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in patients with gout. A new study suggests that colchicine, more so than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prophylaxis, may increase the odds of adverse events, when initiating allopurinol for gout.
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast – with Special Guest Dr. Kathryn Dao (9.29.2023)
This week on the podcast, Dr. Jack Cush is joined by special guest, Dr. Kathryn Dao to review the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. They discuss unmet needs in gout, obesity and CV disease in PsA and should you check ANCA antibodies in SLE?
Read ArticleUncertainty on Pre-Clinical RA – Rheumatologist Survey Results
In June 2023, RheumNow surveyed US and non-US rheumatologists (Rheums) about how they consider and manage pre-clinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in their practice.
Read ArticleMicrovascular CV Disease with Severe Psoriasis
While comorbidities, including an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk, are associated with severe psoriasis, less is known about subclinical CV disease and when it occurs in patients with psoriasis.
Read ArticleAdvice on Multi-Drug Failures in RA
What’s your next best approach to the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient who has failed several DMARDs and biologics? In such cases you have to either reconsider the diagnosis (especially if seronegative) or reach into your bag of tricks.
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast with Special Guest Dr. Michael Weinblatt (9.22.2023)
Dr. Jack Cush is joined by Dr. Michael Weinblatt as they discuss this weeks news and journal reports, including difficult RA, HLA typing and abatacept responses and new regulatory decisions.
Read ArticleCognitive-behavioral Therapy Lessens Fibromyalgia Pain
In a recent randomized clinical trial of patients with fibromyalgia, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)—which uses structured techniques to alter distorted thoughts and negative moods—was superior to a matched education treatment in reducing the interfering effects of pain and other aspects of fi
Read ArticleRA Associated Cancer Risk
A large cohort analysis of insured rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients reveals that RA patients have a 1.69 to 2.08 fold higher risk of developing cancer, especially lymphoma or lung cancer, within 1 year of RA diagnosis.
Read ArticleMachine Learning May Diagnose Psoriatic Arthritis Earlier
A machine learning approach was applied to two different population cohorts and was shown to be effective at the early identification of undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast – with Special Guest Dr. Peter Nash (9.15.2023)
This week, Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news with special guest, Dr. Peter Nash. They discuss COVID Autoantibodies, SpA life expectancy, HCQ, extraarticular RA and our approach to Early RA referrals and pre-clinical RA.
Read ArticleTNR: Early RA - Referrals and Treatment
This Tuesday Night Rheumatology was an hour long panel discussion featuring Drs. Jack Cush, Vivian Bykerk, Glen Hazelwood and Martin J. Bergman.
The Panel discussed Rheumatologists views on Early RA referral and intake, initial treatment preferences and views on diagnosing and treating pre-clinical RA.
RA Extra-articular Manifestations Declining
A Mayo Clinic population based cohort study shows the extraarticular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (ExRA) have declined with time; but the increased mortality risk of RA remains unchanged.
Read ArticleHydroxychloroquine Adherence Lowers Cardiovascular Risks
Daily hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is better than an apple a day; as a new study shows that adherence to the antimalarial agent significantly lowers future risk of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients.
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast – with Special Guest Dr. Janet Pope (9.8.2023)
This week, Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news with special guest, Dr. Janet Pope. They discuss "Not-non-Inferior", large scale genetic screening, Zoster risk w/ newer lupus drugs, tapering, RA referral problems and the TNR webinar session on "ORAL Surveillance Revisited".
Read ArticleWoeful Rheumatology Referrals
Early diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis (IA) is rooted in patient (self or MD) referrals. A recent analysis shows only a minority of rheumatology referrals had inflammatory arthritis, with only 21% were seen within the first 6 weeks of symptoms.
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