RheumNow Week in Review – Gout and Hearing Loss, Huh? (9.14.18) Save

Dr. Jack Cush's weekly review of the news on RheumNow.com.

1. Norwegian study of 108 pregnancies in 103 Psoriatic arthritis women finds that 75% were in DAS remission or LDAS during and after pregnancy; For most Dz activity decreased during pregnancy but increased postpartum especialyly after 6 mos postpartum https://t.co/EGdXKPD9I7
2. 325 pts with Early RA received either MTX or MTX + HCQ. At 6 mos the combination MTX/HCQ patients had signifificantly greater EULAR good responses and DAS28-CRP values; but differences were less by 12 mos. Rx intensification was more in MTX monoRx group https://t.co/zTy0KNx1X7
3. An observational study adults 18–35 years of age, shows that hyperuricemia was strongly associated with the presence of coronary artery diseaes in non-smokers (OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.03–3.29; p = 0.039) but was potentiated by smoking. https://t.co/sHNaiXzUyg 
4. 10 yr study of 581 gout vs 598 OA pts shows gout with a lower risk of colorectal cancer (0.8% vs 3.7%). https://t.co/xPbj1iEGDs Other studies have shown increased overall Cancer risk in gout https://t.co/RDaDhm5V31
5. Gout is associated with a higher risk of hearing loss in older adults, A 5% random sample of Medicare 2006–2012, shows incidence hearing impairment to be higher in people with gout (16.9 vs. non-gout 8.7 per 1000PY). HR=1.44 https://t.co/mD9ihPcPVh   
6. 10 pts Rx for malignancy with immune checkpoint inhibitors developed musculoskeletal irAEs (oligo-, polyarthritis, tenosynovitis, +ANA, +CCP), onset ~ 6 mos after Rx, all Rx w/ steroids, Time to resolution was 9.2 ± 6.1 mos https://t.co/uezPWl1xeF
7. 11 Physician assistants competed against 10 Medical residents (both with 6-24 mos experience) in simulated ICU management and performed similarly (PA: 66 ± 13% vs MR: 68 ± 9%; P = 0.86). https://t.co/ABCsrKwKqO
8. AstraZeneca and MedImmune announced the TULIP 1 Phase III clinical trial of anifrolumab in 460 SLE pts, failed to meet its primary endpoint of reducing disease activity (SRI4) at 12 mos. https://t.co/Xh5ZpfyFZu https://t.co/gPugoSswN5
9. Interferon Blocker Disappoints in SLE 
10. Mediterranean Diet Reduces Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis  
11. Depression Increases Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus  
12. BMS Tyk 2 Inhibitor Benefits Psoriasis    
13. Providing medical care is more of a commitment to the patient, than a commitment to science. Empathy, understanding and listening are incredibly hard when you think you have all the answers. https://t.co/9ERyuBjYsr