The RheumNow Week in Review - 12 January 2018 Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews a dozen highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com.

1. Study of THR in Hip arthritis patients shows that Surgeons who do "overlapping surgeries" (supervises 2+ operations simultaneously) have a 90% in surgical complications in 1st yr. https://t.co/E8pQY2S1jg 
2. Metanalysis of the RA cost of care (12 papers, only1/3 good) shows Total direct medical costs to be ~ $12,509 for all RA pts; $36,053 for bDMARD users; RA-specific costs were $3,723 all RA patients and $20K for bDMARD users https://t.co/JYzgrUgnfF
3. DMARD Tip: Leflunomide has a drug 1/2 life of nearly 20 days. Once pt improved w/ 20mg/d (~6-12 wks) I switch dosing to once weekly, often less total mg (eg, LEF 4-6 tab q friday (80-120mg/wk). Monitoring and risks are same. https://t.co/dP7EooQEKz
4. 8,534 FMF Israeli patients were found to have a lower risk of Cancer (SIR 0.66;(95% CI 0.55–0.77). The question: is: inflammation-related Cancer risk different with disorders of adaptive vs innate immunity? https://t.co/s5iFYhmvhF
5. Krystexxa annual sales expected to increase from $400 million to $750 million. Horizon reports the number of gout patients treated increased from 50,000 to 100,000. https://t.co/sPTf8UueVc
6. Swedish study of 331,941 construction workers (31 years F/U): 1,623 had lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, with rates highest in those who were heavy smokers https://t.co/XNbLYdARjc
7. Gabapentinoid use steadily rose from 1.2% of adults in 2002 to 3.9% in 2015 https://t.co/seC0thDIX9
8. Study of ~300k Canadian pregnancies (1998-2015) finds 51 LEF patients with 1st Trimester exposures to Arava & 21 patients with 2nd/3rd Tri exposure; Find no incr risk of spont Abortion (11), Malformations (5), prematurity (7) or LBW (8) https://t.co/jsVXdvQGEM
9. B Cell Changes Predict Autoimmunity with Checkpoint Inhibitors   
10. 40% of Arthritis Patients Fail to Receive Exercise Guidance  
11. Increasing Adverse Events Seen with Higher Disease Activity in Early RA
12. Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements Do Not Reduce Hip Fractures