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In RA, Activity Protects Cognition
Physical activity appeared to be protective against the development of cognitive impairments among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a prospective cohort study found.
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New EMA Warnings for Tofacitinib in Patients at Risk for Clots
The European Medicines Agency safety committee (PRAC) has concluded that Xeljanz (tofacitinib - TOFA) could increase the risk of blood clots in the lungs and in deep veins in patients who are already at high risk for venous thromboembolic events. The PRAC is recommending that TOFA should be used with caution in patients at high risk of blood clots (VTE), regardless of dose used.
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Year in Review - Psoriatic Arthritis 2019
Major new insights into the treatment of psoriatic arthritis dominated the headlines during the past year, with a head-to-head trial comparing IL-17A inhibition with tumor necrosis factor blockade, another study considering whether methotrexate can improve outcomes with anti-TNF therapy in PsA, and an investigation into the effects of biologic therapy on bone.
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EXCEED Study: Cosentyx Equals Humira in Psoriatic Arthritis
Novartis has announced the results of the EXCEED trial that pitted its IL-17 inhibitor, Cosentyx (secukinumab - SEC) against Humira (adalimumab - ADA) in patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The trial demonstrated that SEC was not non-inferior to ADA, but failed to meet its primary endpoint of superiority over ADA as far as drug efficacy.
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Rinvoq (upadacitinib) Effective in Psoriatic Arthritis
Yesterday, AbbVie reported the top-line study results showing the efficacy of Rinvoq (upadacitinib - UPAD) adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis who previously had an inadequate response to a biologic DMARD.
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RheumNow Podcast – Ghastly, Ghoulish News (10.31.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews recent journal articles and info bits from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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The Global Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis 2017
The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors study (GBD) from 2017 analyzed the burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for 195 countries between 1990 to 2017 and surmised that RA is a major global public health challenge, with increasing prevalence and incidence rates.
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Outcomes in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Arthritis Research & Therapy reports on a prospective cohort of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) shows that the incidence has held steady at 12.8/100,000 children, but that the frequency uveitis and the need for orthopedic surgery has decreased in the last 20 years.
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Methotrexate and the Risk of Lung Disease
Rheumatology has a comprehensive overview of methotrexate (MTX) and the risk of lung injury, MTX-related pneumonitis and interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Past reports suggest the frequence of MTX-pneumonitis to be between 0.3 and 11.6%; recent studies suggest it may be much lower.
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RheumNow Podcast – The Shoes Maketh the Doctor (10.25.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Patients Prefer Nurse Led Care for their Gout
Despite the well known, well publicized treat-to-target (T2T) goal of a serum uric acid (SUA) level 6 mg/dl, this goal is seldom achieved ( 40%) in clinical practice and patient adherence has been unacceptably low. A recent study shows that nurse-led care led to better outcomes in gout including patient acceptability, long-term adherence, and less flares.
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Pain Persists Despite TNF Inhibitor Use
Control of pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often focuses on control of inflammation as a means to better control pain.
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Adalimumab and Pregnancy Outcomes
A prospective study of birth outcomes to mothers exposed to adalimumab (ADA) between 2004 and 2016 was conducted by Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) Research Center at the University of California San Diego, and showed that ADA exposure was not associated with an increase
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Interleukin Targeted Biologics Increase Risks of Infection
A systematic review of the literature shows that, compared to placebo, the use of non-TNF, interleukin inhibitor biologics may be associated with significantly higher rates of serious infections, opportunistic infections, and cancer.
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Comorbidities Increase in Importance in RA
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a large comorbidity burden at the time of diagnosis, including a wide range of ailments but with pulmonary disease a particular concern, a U.K. population-based study found.
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Joint Injections: Are They Worth the Risk?
Intra-articular injections of corticosteroids for relief of the pain of hip or knee osteoarthritis (OA) may have adverse long-term consequences, researchers suggested.
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Protective Effects of ASA and Vasodilators in Systemic Sclerosis
A large cohort study suggests that the use of vasodilators and aspirin (ASA) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) may yield favorable cardiovascular outcomes.
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Comorbidity Worsens Axial Spondyloarthritis
Comorbidities are common in patients with axial spondyloarthropathy (axSpA), and a recent study has shown that multimorbidity, the coexistence of 2 or more conditions, is associated with more severe disease than those without comorbidities.
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One-Third of Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Will Need Joint Surgery
Dannish study has shown that one-third of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) will have joint surgery that that PsA patients have twice the rate of joint surgery when compared with the general population.
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Stress and the Risk of Incident Inflammatory Arthritis
A prospective analysis of newly diagnosed, inflammatory arthritis (IA) patients suggests that perceived distress (stress) increases the odds of incident IA.
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