Recent News
Read ArticleDr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com
Swimming Reduces Diability from Low Back Pain
EurekAlert!
Swimming is commonly recommended for patients with chronic low back pain. Yet, there is little trial data investigating swimming. An Australian study has shown for the first time that a program of swimming can be clinically effective in reducing disability from chronic low back pain.
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Evidence-Based Dietary Recommendations for Gout
Gout, historically referred to as the “disease of kings,” was once associated with a lifestyle of excess, including ready access to alcohol and rich meats once reserved for society’s highest ranks. Today, it is more appropriate to refer to gout as a “disease of commoners,” as it is the most common inflammatory arthritis worldwide that affects >5% of the US general population.
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The Hidden Cost of Gout
For many people, gout is viewed as an episodic disease: a painful flare, a short course of treatment, and then life returns to normal. However, as rheumatologists, we know that recurrent attacks can lead to joint damage and tophi if left untreated. https://t.co/RWTp5KKkyw
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Fibromyalgia: Diagnosis and Management
https://t.co/L9nA1TlJKx https://t.co/G4bkxTsXCt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
EUSTAR scleroderma substudy propensity matched pts Rx w/ JAKi (n 38) vs 180 pts ea Rx w/ MMF, MTX, RTX. 1/3 had dcSSc. 23 AEs in 997 Pt-yrs. JAKi outcomes similar to comparators. JAKi Tx D/C in 39%, FVC stable, skin fibrosis improved (mRSS −1.8) & SJC decreased. No new
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QD Clinic: Gout, Sepsis… or Both?
Dr. Mrinalini Dey, London, discusses a complex case.
https://t.co/UtncfZgZyL https://t.co/xVTA0LnPpN
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
The Lancet Rheumatology has a good editorial about the avacopan bad news reports with EMA, FDA and Japan issuing negative opinions that threaten the drugs future. Yet, since approval real world data on avacopan has been favorable w/ less steroid toxicity & most hepatotoxicity https://t.co/k6ebVeWv2K
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SGLT2 inhibitors lower serum urate AND reduce gout flares — and may close the mortality gap (CV mortality benefit) and offer renal protection.
For more gout content, follow our Gout: More than Flares campaign at https://t.co/lQoiFjubZJ, https://t.co/QywxaTSSv6
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"Leeuwenhoek (invented the microscope) examined uric acid (C5H4N4O3) crystals from gout patients and found them to resemble needles. He expounded on his observations in an 11 July 1679 letter responding to an earlier query from Mr. Lambert van Velthuysen (1622–1685), a physician, https://t.co/mY2wqYlRda
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Primary biliary cholangitis is a chronic cholestatic disease characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of bile ducts, leading to fibrosis, cirrhosis, & liver failure. Ursodeoxycholic acid is 1st line Rx. New Rx include elafibranor & seladelpar (activates peroxisome https://t.co/EYcleKlTIB
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
QD Clinic: Gout, Sepsis… or Both?
Dr. Mrinalini Dey, London, discusses a complex case.
https://t.co/UtncfZgZyL https://t.co/81SyzpWbcl
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
UK primary care database (2000–21) gout study of new colchicine initiators (n 31,478) vs noninitiators (mean 60 yrs, BMI 30), follow-up of 4.5 yrs. Colchicine use had a signif. 12% lower risk of Joint Arthroplasty (HR 0.88); 23% lower TJA in knee/hip OA (HR 0.77) https://t.co/TkYFYhANuH
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
QD Clinic: Gout: Is it the Journey or the Destination?
Dr. Arthur Kavanaugh discusses a gout patient whose frequent flares improved after lifestyle changes, despite medication not being enough on its own.
https://t.co/frf4O87L0I https://t.co/cjtiYY9Ayt
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Predicting and Managing Gout Flares in Hospitalized Patients
Dr. Kanon Jatuworapruk, Bangkok, discusses predicting and managing gout flares in hospitalized patients as part of RheumNow's "Gout: More than Flares" campaign in July 2026.
https://t.co/wrLbjsayrI https://t.co/eWmRqPNWsJ
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
51 yoM w/ 2 yrs of FUO, unintentional 32-kg wt loss, LN, diffuse myalgias, but no GI Sxs or arthralgia. Neg MRIs, CT, PET scan, EGD, colonoscopy. Abnl labs: CRP 173 mg/L, ESR 46, anemia & ^ WBC. Cell-free DNA next-generation sequencing dx Tropheryma whipplei, & Whipple disease https://t.co/nJLa4l7Ers
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Allopurinol - severe allergic reactions are estimated at 0.4%-2%, rising to 8–18% in patients with chronic kidney disease. Being HLA-B*58:01 (+) dramatically increases risk (OR 117).
For more gout content, follow our Gout: More than Flares campaign at https://t.co/lQoiFjubZJ, https://t.co/fTuc4lYvJz
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Genetic study of 16 pts w/ Allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse Rxn (SJS/TEN) shows 2 class I alleles to be associated: HLA-B*58:01 (OR, 28.0 [95% CI, 8.6-100.6]) and HLA-A*34:02 (OR, 20.6 [95% CI, 3.3-131.1]). Both explain 80% risk in US pts https://t.co/OxDXuWCbup https://t.co/oky61JImQV
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Psoriatic Arthritis: EULAR 2026 Recap
https://t.co/tBMu4CEn0o https://t.co/iztShOHxOf
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Video
From the Blog
At first, it seemed similar to many other such sessions – a circle of folding chairs, a group of colleagues whose visages exuded understanding and acceptance – but this was special. I started the meeting…. “Hi, my name is Artie.”
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Podcasts
Chikungunya Club Meeting (7.24.2026)
Upgrading & Maximizing the Classics (Colchicine, Allopurinol, etc.)-
Seronegative RA Disease Activity (7.17.202)
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What Lies Beneath - Uric Acid Deposition & Imaging
Therapeutic Updates
Fundamentals of CAR T Cell Therapy and Its Investigational Use in Autoimmune Diseases
Sponsored By Bristol Myers Squibb
Learn more about the fundamentals of CAR T-cell therapy and its investigational use in autoimmune disease
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Watch our 'Systemic Burden of Gout' series as part of this month's Gout More than Flares campaign. Check out our videos including: Gout & CVD, Gout & Obesity, Outcomes of Tophaceous Gout and more.
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Poster Hall
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Real-World Predictors and Early Indicators for IBD in Patients With PsA
Daily Gem
30-40% of acute gout attacks have normal uric acid. 40% of acute gout attacks are not tested for uric acid levels.
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