Smoking Cessation Lowers RA Disease Activity and CV Risks

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A multinational cross-sectional cohort study suggests that smoking cessation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is associated with lower disease activity measures, improved lipid profiles and lower rates of cardiovascular (CV) events.

Spondyloarthritis Affects Pregnancy Outcomes

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A Danish registy has shown that the the prevalence of Spondyloarthritis (SpA) diagnosed prior to delivery has increased 5 fold in the last two decades and that SpA is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO).

Apremilast Reduces Oral Ulcers in Behcet's Syndrome

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A multinational trial finds a statistically significant number of patients with Behçet's syndrome showed a greater reduction in the number of oral ulcers with apremilast compared with placebo.

IL-17 Inhibitors In Non-Radiographic Axial SpA

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This meeting sees new data on using anti-IL-17 agents in non-radiographic axial SpA. Up until now these patients have only had TNF inhibitors available, so data about the efficacy of IL17 inhibitors is really important.

Rheumatic Immune-Related Adverse Events: Not Just Another IrAE

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Rheumatic immune-related adverse events can start at almost any time after the commencement after immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy for cancer, and are liable to persist long after the immunotherapy has ceased, according to data presented at ACR 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tapering Of Therapy In RA: Maybe Not So Aggressive Next Time

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This ACR has seen some more great work on tapering of therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. It’s a hot topic and one which I get asked about all the time by my patients.

Herpes Zoster Vaccine Update

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Shingrix (GSK), the herpes zoster subunit vaccine (a two-shot series), was approved by the FDA in Fall 2018 and is currently approved for use in adults 50 years and older.

RheumNow Podcast –Favorites of ACR 2019 (11.22.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush recaps standout presentations and information from ACR 2019 held in Atlanta November 9-12, 2019.

A Focus on WOCBA (Women of Childbearing Age)

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Largely because it can be difficult to do studies in pregnant women, gaps remain in the area of rheumatic disease in pregnancy. This year’s ACR highlights some important new points to consider.

ACR 2019 - Report From Day 3 (Tuesday)

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Here's my summary of key studies presented Tuesday. 

Tofacitinib in Polyarticular JIA

Psoriatic Arthritis at ACR 2019

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Below are several of the highlight studies in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) presented at the ACR 2019 annual meeting in Atlanta. 

ACR 2019 - Report From Day 2 (Monday)

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Monday was another full day of sessions and studies here in Atlanta. Following is my roundup of day two.

The Safety of Methotrexate

Influenza Vaccine Updates And Pearls At ACR 2019

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As we enter flu season it is of the utmost importance that we remember to assess our patients’ influenza vaccine status at each visit.

ACR 2019 – Best of the Plenary Sessions

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The ACR Plenary Sessions featured some of the best research presented on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday in Atlanta. Here are my seven notable highlights from the Plenaries.

ACR 2019 - Report from Day One (Sunday)

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Sunday was the first full day of scientific sessions at the 2019 ACR/ARP meeting in Atlanta. Yesterday we shared our initial news articles, videos and more with you. Following is my roundup of day one. 

Delays in Diagnosis

Part 1:  The “P” in Prednisone stands for Poison...and Other Pearls

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Everyone has life hacks.  Years of experience and doing the same things repetitively allow us to figure out little tricks to make life easier. A rat in a maze, finding itself at a dead end, will back up and search for a clearing.

New Treatments in Axial SpA from #ACR2019

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There were new developments in the treatment of axial Spondyloarthritis (AS) at ACR 2019. The first area is on the use of anti-IL17A drugs, secukinumab and ixekizumab in non-radiographic AS. The second area is the use of JAK-1 inhibitor Upadacitinib in radiographic AS.

RheumNow Podcast – ACR 2019 Round Up (11.15.19)

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Dr. Jack Cush presents his favorite abstracts and presentations from Rheumatology Round Up and ACR 2019.

RheumNow Podcast – Better Ways to Treat Gout (11.8.19)

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

T2T Lowers Mortality in Gout

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A Spanish prospective cohort of active, uncontrolled gout patients were followed and showed that failure to reach a target serum uric acid (sUA) level of 6 mg/dl (0.36 mmol/L) or less was associated with a 2-3 fold increase in mortality.