A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on a registry of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients from two Georgia counties (Fulton and Dekalb) shows SLE mortality was 2-3 times higher compared to the general population, especially amongst blacks; notably deaths occurred sooner after diagnosis

The NY Times and 60 Minutes have reported that Connecticut, along with 43 other states, filed a mega-lawsuit accusing the generic drug makers of a massive, systematic conspiracy to bilk consumers out of billions of dollars.

JAMA Dermatology reports on a comparative cohort study of 107,707 psoriasis patients, finding a decreased risk of serious infections among users of apremilast, etanercept, and ustekinumab when compared with methotrexate.

For the first time in the United States, employed physicians outnumber self-employed physicians, according to a newly updated study on physician practice arrangements by the American Medical Association (AMA).

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

A recent article in JAMA by Drs. Goodman and Brett reviews the increasing off label use of gabapentinoid drugs, originally developed as antiseizure drugs that are now increasingly prescribed for painful conditions.

A pilot treatment study of patients with anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase antibody–positive polymyositis/dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease (anti-ARS-PM/DM-ILD) shows therapy with glucocorticoids and calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) to be highly effective. 

A composite risk score that included three biomarkers predicted thrombotic events among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a cross-sectional study found.

Reuters reports on regulatory efforts by Canada and the US to curb the rising cost of drugs, especially expensive new medicines. 

An unusual pilot study has shown that insulin resistence (IR), assessed by Hgb-A1c levels, was more prevalent in fibromyalgia (FM) patients compared to non-diabetic controls and that when FM patients were given metformin, half had complete resolution of their pain.

Combining denosumab (Prolia) with a conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) such as methotrexate showed promise for slowing radiographic damage in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a manufacturer-sponsored phase III trial called DESIRABLE found.

MMWR reports that in 2017, one in four US adults have arthritis (range from 22.8% to 34.6%), with higher rates in Appalachia and Lower Mississippi Valley regions. Of those with arthritis, 31% reported to have "severe arthritis".

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the latest journal articles and rheumatology news from the past week on RheumNow.com:

A comparative cohort study of patients with osteoarthritis (OA), gout, diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN), post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), and fibromyalgia (FM) shows that nonadherence to pain medications is high and leads to greater overall health care resource utilization and costs. 

Studies from a cohort of gout patients in Mexico shows that long-term goals of a target serum urate (sUA) 6 mg/dL and remission are rare, especially for those with severe gout.

Boston researchers have shown that consumption of fish rich in omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n‐3 PUFA) leads to a lower risk of recurrent gout flares.

A national database reveals that patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) have 22.3% risk of hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge. 

From a total of 9749 hospital admissions with GPA, there were 2173 readmissions within 30 days of discharge.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the Arthritis Foundation (AF) have released two guidelines on management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Two weeks of antibiotic therapy was as effective as 4 weeks for septic arthritis, a prospective single-center study found.

Namilumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) ligand, showed promise as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a phase II study.