Underuse & Overuse of DXA Screening

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A US Preventive Services Task Force recommends DEXA screening in women >65 yrs and only in women 65 yrs if there is a significan risk of fracture.  Amarnath and coworkers studied 50,995 women in primary care, aged 40-85 years, between 2006-2012.

Amgen & Abbvie Increase the Price of TNF Inhibitors

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The manufacturers of the 2 best selling TNF inhibitors, Enbrel and Humira, have announced a 9.9% price increase of May 1st. The current average price of Enbrel is $42,000 per annum.

The Real Prevalence of Sjogren's Syndrome

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The population prevalence of Sjogrens syndrome is  0.2%, with an incidence of 4 cases per 100,000 per year.  Sjogrens is 20 times more common in females than males.

Safety Reports & Updates – May 2015

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A Microneedle Pill as an Alternative to Injectable Drug

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Carl Schoellhammerhas just won the Lemelson-MIT National Collegiate Student Prize for his invention - the microneedle pill.

Sjogrens Syndrome and Familial Risk

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A population based study from Taiwan shows that Sjogren's syndrome, to have a prevalence of 0.05%. The prevalence of the syndrome, however, was 10 times higher among women (0.10%) compared to men (0.01%). Overall, having an affected first-degree relative with Sjogren's syndrome carried

Men are Less Likely to be Screened for Osteoporosis

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Study by Dashkova et al finds males less likely to have their bone density checked, but suffered worse outcomes. "We were surprised at how big a difference we found between men and women regarding osteoporosis," study author Dr.

The Danger Model as an Alternative Cause of Autoimmunity

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The danger model was proposed by Matzinger as an alternative (or complement) to the traditional self-non-self (SNS) model of autoimmunity.

Adalimumab Gets FDA Orphan Drug Status for Use in Hidradenitis Suppurativa

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The FDA has granted adalimumab (Humira) orphan drug designation for the investigational treatment of moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) (Hurley Stage II and Hurley Stage III disease).

Pisetsky on Digital Infarcts and Rheumatoid Vasculitis

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"As scholars of disease have noted, RA today appears to be a less severe disease than it was when I started my career in the 1970s. Then, patients routinely ‘went up in smoke’ and rapidly became crippled, wasting away in a state we called ‘burnt out’.

Prevalence of gout

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Lancet article on the increasing prevalence of gout shows a rate of 2.5% in the UK that has increased 67% in the last 15 years.

Tanezumab in Osteoarthritis: Data Presented at OARSI

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Pooled analyses of the tanezumab (a nerve growth factor inhibitor) phase 3 studies was presented at the 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress.

Early DMARD Therapy Averts Cardiovascular Risk in RA

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A Finnish early RA register studied 14,878 incident RA patients from 2000-2008 and identified 1157 deaths.  Patients receiving DMARDs and MTX had lower mortality rates. The standardized moratility ratio for the entire cohort was reduced (0.57, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.62).

The National Prevalence of HLA-B27 in the U.S.

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HLA-B27 is found 6.1% of the US population, but with is seen in >90% patients with ankylosing spondylitis. HLA-B27 increases risk of spondylitis, uveitis and heart block. [Image credit: "HLA-B*2705" by Pdeitiker - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons]

Communication Gap Between MDs and Lupus Patients

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May 10 was World Lupus Day.

Economic Impact of Biosimilars

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According to the Federal Trade Commission biosimilars have the potential to save the U.S. healthcare system $250 billion through 2022.

Hepatotoxicity and TNF Inhibitors

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Hepatic enzyme elevations with TNF inhibitor use is not uncommon.

Lancet: Increase Serious Infection Risk with Biologics

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Blau Syndrome - the Prototypic Autoinflammatory Granulomatous Disorder

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The defining triad of Blau's syndrome includes granulomatous polyarthritis, dermatitis and uveitis.  This rare, monogenic, autosomal dominant disorder stems from a "gain in function" mutation of the pattern recognition receptor NOD2.

Rheum by the Numbers: Inflammatory Back Pain

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Nearly 20% Americans have chronic back pain, but 5-6% have inflammatory back pain. These numbers were derived from the 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that showed the USA prevalence of axial spondyloarthritis to be 1-1.4% and ankylosing spondylitis to be 0.5%.