All News
Flu Shot for Egg-Allergic Patients – What to Do?
Flu season is upon us. While we try our best to vaccinate as many patients as possible, at times it can be challenging for reasons ranging from patient’s perceptions that the vaccine gives them the flu to others stating they are allergic to vaccine components.
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RheumNow Week in Review – 4 November 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights and reports from this week on RheumNow.com, including drug-induced cutaneous lupus, pediatric lupus being worse, new gout drug SEL-12, Gut microbiome and IgA plasmablasts, and the weakly-received new ACP guidelines on gout.
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Opioids are Like Guns in the Hands of Children
The opioid abuse epidemic is well known and the focus of many regulators and health care personnel. The problem also affects the youngest Americans, according to a recent Washington Post article.
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ACP Gout Guidelines Reviewed and Critiqued by Rheumatologists
ACP released clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of gout. Interestingly, these are not always aligned with the 2012 ACR gout guidelines.
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When Cheap Generics Morph Into Expensive Prescriptions
The Wall Street Journal has reported an alarming trend in generic drug pricing that affects many, especially the elderly and those with arthrtis.
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Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Increases
The MMWR has reported that Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), previously (1999) had an estimated 1.8 million (0.9%) prevalence. But as of 2015, an estimated 3.1 million (1.3%) of U.S.
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Is There a Familial Risk to Scleroderma?
Using population based data, researchers found a 10 fold increase prevalence of SSc in first degree relatives. That equates to a relative risk of 81. Genetic factors appear to be important in the risk for scleroderma.
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POSTURE Study: Apremilast Fails in Ankylosing Spondylitis
ClinicalTrials.gov has listed the results of the POSTURE study, a large randomized placebo-controlled trial wherein apremilast was found to yield no benefit (compared to placebo) in treating ankylosing spondylitis (AS) (32.5% vs. 36.6% ASAS20 at week 16) patients.
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ACP Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain
Low back pain (LBP) is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the United States and nearly 25% of all U.S. adults have had LBP in the last 3 months and nearly 6% reported at least 1 episode of severe acute low back pain in the last 1-year.
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Most Clinicians Do Not Order MRI/CT for Nonspecific Low Back Pain
Low back pain (LBP) is a highly prevalent public health problem. Not surprisingly, imaging of LBP is also an expensive and often overused diagnostic tool.
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Good News for Lupus Pregnancies
The Washington Post recently interviewed Dr. Eliza Chakavarty of the OMRF about the evolution in attitudes and outcomes of lupus women who wish to get pregnant.
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Nor-Switch Study Shows it's Safe to Switch to a Biosimilar
The results of the Nor-Switch study were presented at the United European Gastroenterology annual congress this week demonstrating no significant difference in effect, adverse effects or antibody formation in patients switched from Remicade to the biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13, Remsima).
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Inflectra Biosimilar Ships in Late November 2016
Pfizer has announced it will ship its new FDA-approved biosimilar, Inflectra, in late November and that it will be priced at a15 percent discount to current wholesale prices.
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Low-Molecular Weight Heparin Does Not Reduce Pregnancy Complications
A Lancet meta-analysis has reviewed the preventative effects of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) on placenta-mediated pregnancy complications include pre-eclampsia, late pregnancy loss, placental abruption, and birth of a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonate.
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RheumNow Week in Review – 14 October 2015
Dr Jack Cush reviews highlights from the news and journal articles appearing this week on RheumNow.com:
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My Take on New Ocular Screening Guidelines for Plaquenil
A recent article published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology presented new recommendations for screening of patients being managed with hydroxychloroquine that changed the previous monitoring paradigm. More importantly, it has repositioned hydroxychloroquine from one of the safest medications that rheumatologists use to a drug that can have potentially significant ocular morbidity (if used in doses greater than 5 mg per kilogram and or for prolonged periods of time).
First Degree Relatives and the Risk of Spondyloarthritis
The risk of developing ankylosing spondylitis (AS) if you are HLA-B27+ and a first degree relative is often said to be 20%.
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Those with Osteoporotic Fractures are Going Untreated
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) reports that nearly 80% of those who have already suffered a broken bone due to osteoporosis remain unprotected against the risk of further disabling fractures.
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New Criteria for the Cryopyrinopathies (CAPS)
The diagnosis of periodic fevers is unified by undiagnosed but recurrent fever. Unfortunately the diagnosis of these disorders is hampered by their infrequency, protean features and a lack of clear criteria. Even more problematic is knowing who should be tested and for which monogenic marker?
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RheumNow Week in Review – 7 October 2016
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the journals and news this week on RheumNow.com.
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