Rates of resistant hypertension were doubled among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), significantly increasing their mortality risks, a retrospective single-center study found.

Published guidelines warn that treating osteoarthritis (OA) with opioids and benzodiazepines can boost patients' risk of falling.

A Lancet study has shown that adding cyclosporin to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) Kawasaki disease patients, who were predicted to be resistant to IVIG, was both safe and effective in averting severe coronary artery outcomes.

In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there was no increased risk for malignancy development seen with newly initiated tocilizumab (Actemra) treatment, an analysis of three U.S. insurance claim databases found.

Courtesy of the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) website, here are consensus guidelines on medical cannabis use.

Rheumatology patients experience prevalent pain that is only modestly controlled with current treatment strategies.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news and highlights from RheumNow.com.

A claims data analysis shows that only one-third of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) treated with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) therapy remain on their initial drug in the 2 years post initiation.

First-line treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with anakinra (Kineret) was highly effective as monotherapy, minimizing the need for glucocorticoids, a single-center prospective study found.

A EULAR international committee of 15 experts in pediatric rheumatology have established consensus-based recommendations for the management of juvenile localised scleroderma (JLS).

JAMA reports that tramadol use in adults with osteoarthritis (OA) may be associated with increased all-cause mortality (compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has established new guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing in adults, specifically guiding the use of positive airway pressure (PAP) in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults. 

The Swedish Society of Rheumatology has developed evidence-based guidelines for the management of giant cell arteritis (GCA) with a focus on the appropriate use of corticosteroids and tocilizumab. 

A systematic review has shown that TNF inhibitors (TNFi) are equaled in efficacy by other biologic agents (ustekinumab, secukinumab, and ixekizumab) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients with in dactylitis and enthesitis.

Patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis attained durable complete and near-complete responses for more than a year with a dual inhibitor of interleukin (IL)-17, data from a randomized trial showed. 

Menter and colleagues from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) have published their expert consensus guidelines for the use of biologics in psoriasis.

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

A small, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in early psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has shown that first-line use of golimumab and methotrexate (MTX) is superior to MTX alone in inducing remission in PsA.

A Canadian study has shown that elderly diabetics who take allopurinol have a significant reduction in cardiovascular outcomes.  

Reuters reported that today, the US Senate Finance Committee met to question the executives from seven US pharmaceutical companies on the rising price drugs in America. 

A multidisciplinary Canadian task force has developed guidelines for vaccination in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies, based on the evidence that immunosuppressive use in immune-mediated disease may be  associated with an elevated risk of infections.