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Downward Trends in US Mortality Statistics
Using death certificate data from US National Vital Statistics System of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, JAMA reports a downward trend in death rates in the USA from 1969 - 2013).
Read ArticleObamacare Deficient in Rheumatologists, Other Specialists
The October 27 issue of JAMA reports a study of federal marketplace insurance plans shows roughly 15 percent completely lacked in-network physicians for at least one specialty, a practice found among multiple states and issuers.
Read ArticleVertebral Fractures in 10% of Spondyloarthritis Patients
Vertebral fractures are not uncommon in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and spondyloarthritis.
Read ArticleIV Cyclophosphamide Equal to Mycophenolate in Lupus Nephritis
A comparison of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and low-dose cyclophosphamide IV (CYC) in the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) was examined in 173 patients with class III, IV, or V LN.
Read ArticleU.S. Pays 10 Times More for Prescription Drugs than Other Countries
Prescription drugs may cost up to 10 times more in the United States than they do in other countries, according to a 2013 Comparative Price Report was released last month by the International Federation of Health Plans (IFHP).
Read ArticleSleep Apnea Increases Risk of Gout
Zhang and colleagues from Boston analyzed patients with physician diagnosed sleep apnea from The Health Improvement Network in the UK and compared these with 5 controls (age, sex, BMI matched). They studied 9,865 patients with sleep apnea and 43,598 controls.
Read ArticleBronchiectasis Contributes to Activity and Seropositivity in Rheumatoid Arthritis
UK investigators have shown that rheumatoid arthritis patients with bronchiectasis (BRRA) have a five-fold increased mortality compared to RA without bronchiectasis. It is unclear if serologic differences, activity measures and biomarkers may be different in this cohort.
Read ArticleICD-10 Headlines
Nearly 2 weeks have passed since the painful launch of ICD-10 in US medical practices.
Read ArticlePhysical Therapy Has Modest Effects on Acute Low Back Pain
A new JAMA study shows new onset back pain treated with physical therapy yields modest short-term (3 months) improvement.
Read ArticlePrescription Opioid Use Falls While Abuse Rises
From 2003 to 2013, the percentage of nonmedical use of prescription opioids decreased among adults in the U.S., while the prevalence of prescription opioid use disorders, frequency of use, and related deaths increased, according to a study in the October 13 issue of JAMA.
Read ArticleIs DLCO Predictive in Rheumatoid Interstitial Lung Disease?
Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a common extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Its presence may portend grave outcomes for those affected. The prevalence of ILD in RA ranges from 7.7% to 44% depending on the assessment tools used.
Read ArticleOptimizing Treat-to-Target in RA
Treat-to-target is a common management strategy for rheumatoid arthritis that aims to employ the strategy most effective in terms of achievement of optimal therapeutic outcomes in RA.
Read ArticleHealthcare Consumer Engagement Increasing
Deloitte published its 2015 Healthcare Consumer Survey to examine online resource and technology use by patients. This is important, as the health care industry has expanded the development of online information resources, mobile applications, and personal health devices.
Read ArticleHip Fractures Increased in Rheumatoid Arthritis
An analysis of 741,589 patients over age 45 years from southern Swedish registry examined patients who were followed (between 1998 and 2012) until a hip fracture, death or exit from the region occurred.
Read ArticleDiffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in Lupus Reviewed
Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare but catastrophic complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Presentations are usually acute and the potential for significant morbidity and mortality risk mandates early diagnosis and aggressive interventions.
Read ArticleStrange ICD-10 Codes
The range of categories and diagnostic possibilities is astronomical with the new ICD-10 and its 68,000 codes.
Read ArticleTICOPA Study: Tight Control in Psoriatic Arthritis
Tight control in rheumatoid arthritis was introduced with the TICORA trial and validated in numerous treat-to-target studies since. Now the benefits of tight control in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been reported.
Read ArticleHealth Hazards of Fructose and Soda
The health consequences of fructose-containing sugars, sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, found in sugar-sweetened beverages and foods, may be numerous and include obesity, type 2 diabetes, gout and cardiovascular disease.
Read ArticleICD-10: Preparing for the Next Y2K
ICD-10 starts tomorrow, October 1st. Your Coding memory will have to increase 5-fold or more as we go from 16,000 to 68,000 new ICD-10 codes. How this will affect each of us remains to be seen. There’s a lot to learn, and many wonder if this will be the next “Y2K”.
Read ArticleDSB: Drug Shortages - September 2015
RheumNow is committed to reporting safety issues in our monthly Drug Safety Bulletins. Each month we will update you with reports of new, ongoing and resolved Drug Shortages that will affect the practicing rheumatologist.
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