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Best of 2021: Potential Birth Defects with Hydroxychloroquine
HCQ is one of the safest meds used in rheumatology, but new claims data suggests a small increase in the risk of malformations associated with first-trimester HCQ use. The March 2021 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology studied the risk of major congenital malformations during the first trimester of pregnancy in women with rheumatic disease taking HCQ.
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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
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Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Best of 2021: EULAR Guidelines on Intraarticular Therapy
EULAR has published evidence-based recommendations on the use of intra-articular therapies (IAT) based on the literature review and recommendations of a multidisciplinary international task force. These IAT recommendations apply to adult patients with peripheral arthropathies.
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Indications Awaiting (12.17.21)
There's good news and bad news in rheumatology fellowship matching for 2022. There's also new FDA approvals and indications, but a new serious safety warning has arisen from the CDC about the J&J COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the latest news, journal reports, regulatory approvals, plus 3 new cases from rheumatologists.
Certain Cancers Increased with Autoimmune Diseases
Rheumatologists are well aware that inflammation and immune dysregulation are prime contributors to cancer risk, but do oncologists carry the same impressions? A large study from JAMA Oncology shows that patients with immune-mediated diseases (IMD) have an overall increased risk of cancer, especially in organ-specific immune-mediated diseases.
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When to Stop Biologics in Systemic JIA?
Systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) is a dramatic onset inflammatory condition marked by spiking fevers, intermittent rash, polyarthritis and a host of other hyperinflammatory manifestations.
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T2T Debate - A Prologue with Dr. Marty Bergman
Drs. Jack Cush and Martin Bergman review the topic of treat-to-target (T2T) management in rheumatology.
Both will debate the pro's and con's of the T2T strategy at the upcoming RWCS meeting on Feb. 17, 2022.
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Pre-clinical RA: starting off the wrong foot
Patients with clinically suspect arthralgia can represent a challenge for clinicians, in a sense that there are not yet reliable markers to predict evolution to clinical RA nor enough evidence to support routine prescription of conventional synthetic DMARDS or biologic treatments in this setting.
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Monitoring Infliximab Drug Levels Improves Efficacy
Should we start considering therapeutic drug monitoring when prescribing TNFi for treatment of our rheumatologic conditions?
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FDA Puts Boxed Warnings on JAK Inhibitors
Based on the safety review of tofacitinib in Pfizer's Oral Surveillance (1133) study, the FDA has added serious boxed warnings to all three marketed JAK inhibitors (for inflammatory diseases) and formalized the recommendation that patients should be started on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) before trying a JAK inhibitor. These recommendations apply to tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib.
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Download Available! AOSD Disease Patterns Over Time https://t.co/qZBtCQ2QAg https://t.co/fMmN1PAzFG
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Rheumatoid Arthritis, Dementia and Cognitive Dysfunction
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive dysfunction, but interestingly this association has diminished in the last few decades with aggressive DMARD and targeted therapies..
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