Cancer Risk Lower with TNF inhibitors in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

Since the introduction of TNF inhibitors nearly 20 years ago, concerns over a potential associated cancer risk have abounded. The recent ACR RA treatment guidelines have addressed this recently, stating that patients with any solid tumor cancer or risk thereof should be treated as if they ha

Biologics and Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

Researchers from Bristol, UK have published a Cochrane review studying the effects of biologic therapies on fatigue.

Hyperuricemia Increases Risk of Diabetes, Death and CV Disorders in Hypertensive Patients

Save

While hyperuricemia is linked to gout and many of the elements that make up the metabolic syndrome, it's not so clear that hyperuricemia is an independant risk factor for hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular outcomes, etc.

Family History and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Save

Infection Risk Increased in Giant Cell Arteritis

Save

French researchers recruited 486 patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) from over 40 centers throughout France, and compared their outcomes to age and sex matched individuals randomly selected from the general population. Both groups were followed for 5 years and assessed for the risk of serious infections.

Predictors of Progression in Early Inflammatory Polyarthritis

Save

A substantial, but unclear, percentage of patients presenting with new onset inflammatory polyarthritis (IP) will spontaneously remit, while others may persist and develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

A $20 Drug Company Meal Yields 2-5 Times More Prescriptions

Save

Accepting a single pharmaceutical industry-sponsored meal was associated with higher rates of prescribing certain drugs to Medicare patients by physicians, with more, and costlier, meals associated with greater increases in prescribing, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Me

Steroid Use in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Associated with Fractures

Save

The impact of systemic glucocorticoid exposure on fracture risk among new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was studied using administrative claims data detailing the treatments and outcomes of 42,127 newly diagnosed RA patients (between 2005-2012).

Pregnancy Complications in Primary Sjogren's

Save

Sjogren's syndrome is a highly prevalent disorder, affecting women ten times more frequently than men.  Although the typical onset follows menopause, a minority of women may develop primary Sjogren’s syndrome (pSS) during child-bearing years.

European Registries Show No Melanoma Risk with Biologics

Save

The combined analysis of 130,315 rheumatoid arthritis patients from 11 European registries did not reveal an association between invasive (malignant) melanoma and the use of biologic therapies.

No Increased Risk of Colitis Flares in Secukinumab Trials

Save

No increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease has been seen among patients with psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or ankylosing spondylitis treated with secukinumab (Cosentyx) in the clinical trial programs for this interleukin (IL)-17A inhibitor, a researcher reported here.

Parathyroidectomy Improves and Bisphosphonates Worsen Fracture Risk in Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Save

A retrospective observational study of over 6000 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT), followed in the Kaiser-Permanente system, has shown a greater need for parathyroidectomy than was previously thought.

Hospitalizations Decline for Rheumatoid Arthritis, But Increase in Gout

Save

JAMA has reported the results of an 18-year National Inpatient Sample, a database of US non-federal hospitalizations.

Patient Reluctance to Take Bisphosphonates

Save

The NY Times reports that millions of Americans with osteoporosis are driven to stop or not take bisphosphonate therapies over the fear of exceedingly rare side effects - osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femoral fractures (AFF).

Tendon Inflammation May Signal Early RA

Save

Tenosynovitis may represent a preclinical phase of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Gastrointestinal Perforation Risk increased for Tofacitinib and Tocilizumab

Save

Gastrointestinal perforations (GIP) are not historically believed to be a common or uncommon complication. Hence, when this was noted in the tocilizumab (TCZ) and tofacitinib (TOFA) developmental trials, it was a curious if not perplexing finding.

Patients Undertreated and Uninformed on Pain Meds and NSAIDs

Save

Pain management in the U.S. is at a vexing crossroad. The news tells us that narcotics are increasingly being restricted for their dangerous side effects and inappropriate use.

Mosquito Arthritis

Save

In the last two years there have been increasing reports of mosquito-borne infectious arthritides.  Dengue fever was best known until the introduction of viral infections due to chikungunya and Zika. 

Opioid Prescriptions in Decline

Save

In an era of increasing fears over narcotic abuse and narcotic-related deaths, the number of opioid prescriptions in the United States is finally falling, the according to the NY Times.