RheumNow Podcast – Loretta Lynn Arthritis (3.29.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

FDA Approves Cimzia for Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) injection for treatment of adults with a certain type of inflammatory arthritis called non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA), with objective signs of inflammation.

For RA With COPD, Abatacept is Safe

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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who also had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) had no increased risk of serious respiratory complications when treated with abatacept (Orencia), a large claims-based analysis found.

Best of 2019 - Ups and Downs with Abatacept

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Two recent studies have examined the effect of starting abatacept upon the risk of serious hospitalized infections or cancer, showing divergent results from claims data analyses.

Guidelines for Osteoporosis Management in Postmenopausal Women

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New guidelines on the  "Pharmacologic Management of Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women," were presented March 25 at ENDO 2019 - The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting and simultaneously published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 

Acute Problems Associated With Cannabis Use

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An observational study published in Annals of Internal Medicine finds that emergency department (ED) visits attributable to inhaled cannabis are more frequent than those attributable to edible cannabis, although the latter is associated with more acute psychiatric visits and more ED visits than e

Artificial Intelligence to Predict Rheumatoid Disease Activity

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A recent study in JAMA Network Open shows that artificial intelligence models can use electronic health record data to prognosticate future patient outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Resistant Hypertension Common in SLE

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Rates of resistant hypertension were doubled among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), significantly increasing their mortality risks, a retrospective single-center study found.

Risky Painkillers Commonly Prescribed for Osteoarthritis

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Published guidelines warn that treating osteoarthritis (OA) with opioids and benzodiazepines can boost patients' risk of falling.

Cyclosporin and IVIG Effective in Kawasaki's Disease

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A Lancet study has shown that adding cyclosporin to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) Kawasaki disease patients, who were predicted to be resistant to IVIG, was both safe and effective in averting severe coronary artery outcomes.

No Rise in Cancer Risk with Actemra

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In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there was no increased risk for malignancy development seen with newly initiated tocilizumab (Actemra) treatment, an analysis of three U.S. insurance claim databases found.

CRA Position Statement on Medical Cannabis Use

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Courtesy of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) website, here are consensus guidelines on medical cannabis use.

Rheumatology patients experience prevalent pain that is only modestly controlled with current treatment strategies.

RheumNow Podcast – You Owe Me a DEXA (3.15.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and highlights from RheumNow.com.

Lower TNF Inhibitor Persistence in Spondylitis

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A claims data analysis shows that only one-third of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) therapy remain on their initial drug in the 2 years post initiation.

First Line IL-1 Inhibition in Systemic JIA

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First-line treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with anakinra (Kineret) was highly effective as monotherapy, minimizing the need for glucocorticoids, a single-center prospective study found.

EULAR Consensus Guidelines for Juvenile Localized Scleroderma

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A EULAR international committee of 15 experts in pediatric rheumatology have established consensus-based recommendations for the management of juvenile localised scleroderma (JLS).

Tramadol May be Associated with Increased Mortality in Osteoarthritis

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JAMA reports that tramadol use in adults with osteoarthritis (OA) may be associated with increased all-cause mortality (compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

New Sleep Medicine Guidelines for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

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The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has established new guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing in adults, specifically guiding the use of positive airway pressure (PAP) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults. 

2018 Swedish Guidelines for Giant Cell Arteritis Treatment

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The Swedish Society of Rheumatology has developed evidence-based guidelines for the management of giant cell arteritis (GCA) with a focus on the appropriate use of corticosteroids and tocilizumab. 

Biologic Agents have Equal Efficacy in Enthesitis and Dactylitis

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A systematic review has shown that TNF inhibitors (TNFi) are equaled in efficacy by other biologic agents (ustekinumab, secukinumab, and ixekizumab) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients with in dactylitis and enthesitis.