A one year, X-ray outcome trial has shown that the initial use of prednisone (high or low dose) in newly treated active early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) did not improve radiographic outcomes.

This week's Tuesday Night Rheumatology, hosted by Dr. Jack Cush, featured highlights from the 2022 RheumNow Live Rheumatoid Arthritis - Best Management Pod, followed by a lively audience Q & A. Lectures featured:

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, regulatory updates and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week gout worries, mortality risks, measuring anti-drug antibodies and a better way in lupus?

JAMA reports that despite NIH recommendations (that corticosteroids only be used in hospitalized COVID-19 patients), nonhospitalized COVID infected patients were oftent prescribed systemic corticosteroids.

People with gout appeared less likely to develop dementia than age- and sex-matched peers, a database study from Korea found.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM), especially for biologic therapies, has become a standard in gastroenterology, but shunned by most rheumatologists.

SGLT2 inhibitors are all the buzz in the renal world with reports of a renal protective and mortality lowering effects. Maybe these agents should be considered and studied in lupus nephritis and ANCA- associated vasculitis.

Both old and newer pharmacological treatments for fibromyalgia are often promoted; but a recent systematic review and network meta-analysis showed that duloxetine had higher efficacy in pain and depression, while amitriptyline had higher efficacy in treating sleep, fatigue, and quality of life outcomes.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week, neuroimmunology leading to therapy, the cold shoulder approach and Regulatory updates from the FDA.

Two recent studies examined the durability and persistence of biologic agents in patients with psoriasis (PSO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and while some differences were noted overall persistence was low 3 years later.

This RheumNow Live 2022 session features highlights from lectures on Spondyloarthritis.

- Microbiome in Spondyloathritis - Jose Scher, MD

- Axial Psoriatic Arthritis - Philip Mease, MD

- Juvenile Spondyloathritis - Pamela Weiss, MD

Crowson and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic have shown that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a higher prevalence of multimorbidity with as many as 44 different morbidities of interest in RA.