Recent News

  • Takayasu Arteritis: Do TNFis or IL-6- inhibitors come out on top?

    Brian Jaros, MD
    takayasu.jpg

    The treatment of active Takayasu arteritis (TAK) is imperative to quiet vascular inflammation and subsequently maintain vascular integrity while preventing vessel damage. Our upfront management of TAK, beyond glucocorticoids and conventional DMARDs, remains limited to two primary mechanistic categories: tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab (toci).

    Read Article
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
JAMA Uveitis review: Uveitis peaks at 20–50 yrs; 41–60% is anterior. ~40 linked to systemic disease (HLA-B27=axSpA). 1st exclude infection (TB, toxo, herpes). Anterior UV: topical steroids. Posterior/pan UV: DMARDs first (MTX remission 52%, MMF 71%); adalimumab if refractory https://t.co/jQQGzhAm7c
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Comorbidity management is subpar in Rheum. Surveys of 2213 inflamm rheum Dz pts & 140 rheumatologists. Rheums think theyre OK (71-92%) screening (HTN, OP, vaccines, CA), but pts say NOT (12=33%).Rheums agree they have no structured comorbidity screening in place (time 91%, https://t.co/mqcptziRdw
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Impact of Myositis in Scleroderma Patients Systemic sclerosis (SSc) may have overlap features such as myositis. When present, myositis in SSc is associated with an increased risk of cardiac involvement and a shift in mortality away from ILD towards a greater cardiac risk. https://t.co/bKYP9FmadY
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
150 #Gout pts (56 yrs old; 33wks F/U; 21% drank EtOH, 29% obese, 5% MASLD) on allopurinol followed w/ labs. 30y (20%) had incr AST/ALT (87% mild, none severe). Allopurinol was cont 18/10 without change in AST/ALT. Allopurinol was not the primary cause of LFT elevation https://t.co/XOkUtbdRIK
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Monogenic Inflammatory Disorders Go Unrecognized Lancet Rheumatology published a large cohort analysis using a genome-first approach with whole-exome sequencing, finding a prevalence of 1 in 4026 (159/640092) for monogenic disorders, half with inflammatory features. Only one https://t.co/bItqMXIoUH
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Treat-to-Target has Excellent 10-Year Outcomes in RA Most patients with RA whose initial treatment used a stringent treat-to-target strategy in a clinical trial were in remission 10 years later, with only modest radiographic progression over that time, researchers said. https://t.co/aWQgQAsoSI
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
(about vaccines….) “If you don’t fear the problem you won’t value the solution” -Dr. William Schaeffer
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Should You Use Low Dose Naltrexone? A recent review of 105 studies and 15 randomized controlled trials of LDN found that, across a range of disorders (chronic pain, autoimmune and neuroimmune disorders, gastrointestinal disease, dermatological conditions, post-infectious https://t.co/sC7kteQVMZ
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Cryptococcus is rare, but twice as likely with JAK inhibitors. Retrospective TriNetX analysis of RA pts (>30k/grp) starting JAKi vs TNFi; JAKi vs non-TNFi; & TNFi vs non-TNF. Crypto seen in <0.2% in all groups; but signif higher HR for JAKi (HR 2.2 & 2.15) https://t.co/1J4SjcqF8u
Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
REVEAL study enrolled 418 early microscopic polyangiitis pts - High baseline (Pre-Rx) neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR > 10) was assoc w/ signif higer Dz activity (BVAS), alveolar hemorrhage, poor renal function, reduced survival & higher infection-related mortality (P = https://t.co/wYBOz00GGB
article

Double Trouble (10.23.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal articles and regulatory announcements from this past week on RheumNow, including: two crystals in one joint, twice the cryptococcus risk in JAKs; Myositis and Scleroderma; and Sjögren’s plus early damage = >> 2 fold risk lymphoma. Double trouble week on the RheumNow podcast.

Dr. John Cush Tweet
@RheumNow
Joint Disease in SLE Reconsidered A new Frontiers in Immunology review from Ong, Wincup and colleagues, shows that lupus arthropathy is not a single uniform entity and it is biologically under-studied and clinically mismeasured, Moreover, the biology of lupus arthritis may https://t.co/M5m6TMZr3x

Video

From the Blog

rheumthought

Treatment for Obesity and Inflammation, but at what Cost?

Jonathan Kay, MD
Kay RT cover still

The costs of GLP-1 agonists must come down in order to make these treatments available to the people who need them - including many people with rheumatologic diseases. 

Read Article

Podcasts

  • Double Trouble (10.23.2026)
  • Troubles with ‘Gut Feelings’
  • Don’t Hold the JAK (10.9.2026)
  • PsA Beyond the Joints: Rheum, Derm, and Gastro Perspectives
Ask Cush Anything

Submit your Rheumatology question or case here

Therapeutic Updates

PsA Beyond the Joints: Rheum, Derm, and Gastro Perspectives

Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
AbbVie October RX Update
Dr. Saakshi Khattri hosts dermatologist Dr. Ahmad Amin and gastroenterologist Dr. Joshua Steinberg to discuss multidisciplinary care in PsA and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Learn how signals in the skin and gut may prompt the need for collaboration across specialties to support better patient outcomes that extend beyond the joints.
Read Post

Obesity – Inflammation – PsA

Sponsored by Lilly Medical Affairs
Lilly October
Learn about the inflammatory intersection between Psoriatic Arthritis and Obesity, and why adiposity is more than a comorbidity.
Read Post

Clinical dilemmas in axSpA and PsA

Sponsored by UCB
UCB October RX Update
Explore some of the challenges rheumatologists face in clinical practice, including expert perspectives from UCB's Annual International Immunology Summit.
Read Post
How well do you know this week's rheumatology news?
Take the rheumIQ quiz
Take the RheumIQ Quiz

Rheumnow Survey

Vote
×