Difficulties Diagnosing Interstitial Lung Disease in Scleroderma

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The diagnosis of chronic lung disease in patients with systemic sclerosis may be difficult because of atypical symptoms, variable evolution and limitations of current classification criteria for a definite diagnosis. Nevertheless, diagnosis is necessary as patients with SSc-ILD have a p

Comorbidities Increasing in Arthritis Patients

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A CDC report shows comorbid conditions exist in 73.1% of all arthritis patients. Based on NHIS survey data, the number of patients with 2 or more comorbid conditions has increased from 21.8% in 2001 to 25.5% in 2012.  Most affected were older adults (≥65 years), women, wh

Underuse & Overuse of DXA Screening

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A US Preventive Services Task Force recommends DEXA screening in women >65 yrs and only in women 65 yrs if there is a significan risk of fracture.  Amarnath and coworkers studied 50,995 women in primary care, aged 40-85 years, between 2006-2012.

Men are Less Likely to be Screened for Osteoporosis

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Study by Dashkova et al finds males less likely to have their bone density checked, but suffered worse outcomes. "We were surprised at how big a difference we found between men and women regarding osteoporosis," study author Dr.

Pisetsky on Digital Infarcts and Rheumatoid Vasculitis

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"As scholars of disease have noted, RA today appears to be a less severe disease than it was when I started my career in the 1970s. Then, patients routinely ‘went up in smoke’ and rapidly became crippled, wasting away in a state we called ‘burnt out’.

Tanezumab in Osteoarthritis: Data Presented at OARSI

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Pooled analyses of the tanezumab (a nerve growth factor inhibitor) phase 3 studies was presented at the 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress.

Early DMARD Therapy Averts Cardiovascular Risk in RA

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A Finnish early RA register studied 14,878 incident RA patients from 2000-2008 and identified 1157 deaths.  Patients receiving DMARDs and MTX had lower mortality rates. The standardized moratility ratio for the entire cohort was reduced (0.57, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.62).

Lancet: Increase Serious Infection Risk with Biologics

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Patient perspectives in the management of psoriasis and PsA

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A psoriasis population survey finds psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis in 1.4%-3.3% of North American and European households.  Many (27-53%) rated their disease as “severe”.

AS vs. SpA Responses with Combination Treatment

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Patients in a large Swedish registry with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and spondyloarthritis (SpA) who started a TNF inhibitor were followed for comedication use and TNF inhibitor survival.