Can DMARDs Delay Rheumatoid Onset?

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Preclinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a hot new area wherein at risk individuals (seropositive, first degree relatives of RA patients, etc.) are being studied to assess the triggers that lead to progression to RA or whether therapies can be used to avert the onset of RA.

Enthesitis in PsA: A New Focus of Treatment?

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Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) whose disease manifestations include enthesitis showed significantly greater responses to interleukin (IL)-23 inhibition than to blocking tumor necrosis factor (TNF), suggesting the possibility that treatment decisions in the future might be guided by speci

Abatacept Misses in Lupus Nephritis

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Dr. Richard Furie, MD, of Northwell Health in New York, presented the findings ofa large phase III trial of abatacept (Orencia) in lupus nephritis showing the agent failed to achieve a complete renal response.

The RheumNow Week in Review – EULAR18 Epilogue (6.22.18)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews EULAR 2018 and the past week's news and reports from RheumNow.com, including DMARDs in OA, the price of Penicillamine, Infections when ANCA+, CV outcomes in gout, NSAIDs in Pregnancy and Seropostive vs. Seronegative Outcomes.

Cosentyx Gets Radiographic Protection Indication for Psoriatic Arthritis

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Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the inclusion of new evidence that Cosentyx® (secukinumab) significantly slows the progression of joint structural damage at Week 24 versus placebo in those with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

NSAID Use Around Conception Increases Miscarriage Risk

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A study from the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology analyzed pregnant women from the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system and compared newly pregnant women who took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or acetaminophen or neither showed that using NSAIDs around conception carried a more than four-fold higher risk of early miscarriage. (Citation source: http://bit.ly/2tqNWN6)

The Stress - Autoimmune Disease Connection

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"Can stresss be the cause of my autoimmune disease?" is an often launched question met with shrugs of uncertainty or strongly held beliefs rooted in bias moreso than fact.

Swedish investigators have analyzed a large registry cohort and shown that exposure to stress-related disorders yields a significantly increased risk of autoimmune disease. They analyzed 106,464 patients with stress-related disorders, with 126,652 full siblings, and over a million non-stressed matched controls to assess a future risk of autoimmune disease.

Seronegative and Seropositive Rheumatoids Respond Equally Well

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A cohort study of 241 DMARD-naive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, meeting either 1987 ACR or the 2010 ACR/EULAR  classification criteria for RA, compared the baseline status and long term outcomes of seronegative (SNRA) and seropositive (SPRA).

CDC Obesity Prevalence Higher in the Rural USA

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MMWR reports that approximately 46 million persons (14%) in the United States live in nonmetropolitan counties, where there is a higher prevalence of obesity-associated chronic diseases such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, and arthritis.

Weight Loss Lessens Knee Pain in Obese

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Obese knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients who lose > 20% of their weight were in significantly less pain, had better function and improved quality of life. 

EULAR 2018 - Day 4 Report

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The EULAR 2018 wound down on Saturday with fewer oral presentations but many posters.  In my last report I put together a collection of impressions and some thematic highlights not covered in previous reports.

EULAR 2018 - Podcast from Day 4

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This EULAR 2018 Podcast is a compilation of audio clips from EULAR in Amsterdam.

Click HERE to listen.

You can also listen on iTunes, Soundcloud or Stitcher.

Could Measuring Drug Levels with TNF Treatment Hurt Your Patients?

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Our colleagues in gastroenterology measure drug levels with certain biologics used in inflammatory bowel disease in order to increase the dose for optimal benefit if the patient has a low trough level (i.e. targeting drug level).

We Measure What we do in RA, But so What?

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We are supposed to treat to a target (T2T) in RA. In other words, measure many components of the disease and its activity and calculate a score and if the patient is not in remission (or a low state if remission is not achievable) we are to make a treatment change.

Does RA kill you? Let me count the ways….and what you can do about it

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There were many presentations at EULAR 2018 in Amsterdam about the mortality of RA.

Gout Takeaways

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The annual EULAR meeting just came to an end today. Rooms are gradually emptying out. People look both content to have updated their knowledge and relieved that four very busy days have concluded. Time to summarize.

EULAR 2018 - Day 3 Report

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Day 3 highlights include Behcet’s responds to apremilast and that biologics do not differentially affect TKR/THR post-operative infection rates. Be sure to check out today's podcast as well. 

EULAR 2018 - Podcast from Day 3

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This EULAR 2018 Podcast is a compilation of audio clips from EULAR in Amsterdam.

Click HERE to listen.

You can also listen on iTunes, Soundcloud or Stitcher. 

High Biologic Blood Levels Increases the Risk of Infections in RA

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A big concern of most is the risk of infection with use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and biologic drugs.  While studied in both trials and in post-marketing studies, it is unknown if infection risk is dose-dependent.