Managing Comorbidity and Poor Drug Responses

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Comorbidity is pervasive and complicates medical care in general. It can be a by-product of aging. It may result from drug therapy or an inciting disease process and may be part of the constellation that defines the primary disorder. A growing body of evidence that suggests that comorbidity has a significant dampening effect on drug responsiveness and, adds to poorer outcomes in patients with inflammatory arthritis.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors Do Not Increase the Risk of Cancer Recurrence

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There is a large body of data that shows tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) confers the same risk as that seen in RA - meaning there is no increase over and above that incurred by inflammation and RA itself.  There are fewer studies about whether it is s

Persistent Osteoporosis Drug Use Pays Off

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Among elderly female Medicare patients, persistent use of osteoporosis medications was associated with reduced risk of fracture and significantly lower total health care costs.

U.S. News 2018-19 Rheumatology Rankings

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The Annual U.S. News and World Report Rankings of Hospitals has listed the top contenders in the field of rheumatology. The U.S. News Review rates hospitals nationwide in 16 specialties – including rheumatology. Of the 4,500 hospitals covered by U.S.

Success of Stopping Depends on the Biologic

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The type of biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) being used and remission duration were important factors predicting whether remission was maintained among patients with rheumatoid arthritis after cessation of the biologic, a Japanese study found.

Cardiovascular Benefits of Maintaining Biologic Therapy

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An Australian prospective study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has shown that sustained use of tumour necrosis factor (TNFi) inhibitors or biologics can reduce the risks of cardiovascular events (CVEs).

The RheumNow Week in Review – No Good Gout (8.10.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and latest journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com. Info on Surgery and Hip Fractures, Gout drugs abandoned, Allopurinol escalation, hydroxychloroquine drug levels, how to treat scleroderma in India and exactly who gets back pain.

Fractures Augment 10 Year Mortality Risks

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This nationwide study of adults (50+ yrs) from Denmark has shown that following a fragility fracture, the 10-years mortality risk was increased, especially in the first year following the fracture. 

Early Hip Fracture Surgery Reduces Mortality

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CMAJ reports that seniors are more likely to survive a hip fracture if the surgery is done as soon as they’re admitted to the hospital - suggesting hospitals should expedite operating room access for patients whose surgery has already been delayed for nonmedical reasons.

Dr. Roland Moskowitz (1929 - 2018)

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Dr. Roland Moskowitz was a giant in the rheumatology world for decades, and one of a handful of researchers who doggedly rose to one of rheumatology's greatest challenge: osteoarthritis. He has passed away at the age 88 years.

Selective Use of HLA-B*5801 Testing in Gout

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The current edition of JAMA Internal Medicine describes an Asian gout patient who presents with an allopurinol hypersensitivity reaction that could have been diagnosed by testing for HLA-B*5801.

Febuxostat (IR or XR) Effective in Gout with Renal Impairment

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Saag and colleagues report the results of a 3 month phase III trial demonstrating equal efficacy between febuxostat extended release (XR) and immediate release (IR) formulations in patients with gout.  and normal or impaired renal function.

Big Advances for Two Osteoporosis Drugs

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New developments with the FDA and new scientific findings are adding momentum to two drugs experts believe are game-changers in osteoporosis treatment.

Back Pain in Psoriatic Arthritis

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A single center study of psoriatic arthritis patients has shown that rheumatologist-judged inflammatory back pain (IBP) and criteria defining IBP may not perform well when ascertaining axial involvement in PsA patients. 

Higher Infection Rates for Infliximab in Psoriasis

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A prospective study of psoriasis patients from the British Association of Dermatologists Biologic Interventions Register demonstrated that infliximab therapy yielded 2-3 times more serious infection than seen in those treated with non-biologic DMARDs or methotrexate (MTX).

The RheumNow Week in Review – Handshakes or Hugs (8.3.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com, including new treatments for LTBI, gout consequences, RA and offspring risk, PsA risk, and the opioid epidemic effects.

Maternal RA Increases Offspring Risk of Autoimmune Disorders

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A Danish population study suggests that fetal exposure to maternal rheumatoid arthritis results in an increased offspring risk of thyroid disease, epilepsy and RA, compared to children born to mothers without RA.

Ethnicity Matters in Sjogren's Syndrome

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Among the ethnically diverse residents of Manhattan, certain groups had markedly different incidence rates of primary Sjogren's syndrome, a retrospective study found.

Opioid Aversion is Augmenting Spinal Steroid Injections

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As physicians turn away from opioids, are they resorting to options that may also be unsafe?

The New York Times reports that some physicians are using the anti-inflammatory drug, Depo-Medrol, for intraspinal injections to manage painful spinal and perispinal disorders.

IL-1 Suppression May Improve Dilated Cardiomyopathy

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Interleukin-1 (IL-1) suppression helped reverse symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) for one patient in a case study that may implicate inflammation in the development of the condition.