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Good Pregnancy Outcomes for DMARD Exposed JIA Patients
A study of pregnancy outcomes in 98 women with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who were exposed to DMARDs shows no increased risk of major adverse pregnancy outcomes.
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Autoantibodies Don't Disappear With Remission in RA
Immunologic remission in rheumatoid arthritis, defined as the disappearance of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and rheumatoid factor, was seen infrequently among patients achieving sustained clinical remission and did not correlate with the disappearance of symptoms, a long-term Dutch study found.
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Skyrizi Outduels Humira in Psoriasis
A head-to-head trial has shown that risankizumab was significantly superior to adalimumab in providing skin clearance (PASI90) in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with no difference in safety signals between the two agents.
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Upadacitinib (RINVOQ) FDA Approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday, August 16, approved AbbVie JAK1 inhibitor, Rinvoq (upadacitinib) for adults with rheumatoid arthritis with moderately to severely active disease either not responding to, or intolerant of, methotrexate (MTX).
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RheumNow Podcast – Antibiotics Increase RA Risk (8.16.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reports the news and important journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Trends in Inflammatory Arthritis Care in Germany
The German National Database (NDB) has reviewed their experience in the care and quality of life of inflammatory rheumatic disease patients snce 1993, showing improved use of metrics, improved outcomes and a changing profile of biologic and anti-rheumatic drug use.
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With Autoimmunity, Checkpoint Inhibitors Can Be Used
Among patients with pre-existing autoimmune diseases who developed cancer and were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), flares of the underlying disease and other immune-related adverse events were common, a retrospective study conducted in France showed.
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Bisphosphonate Use Associated with Reduced Mortality
The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) has published a report showing that a reduction in the rate of bone loss by nitrogen bisphosphonates was associated with a 40% lower mortality risk.
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RA Disease Activity Drives Lung Complications
A longitudinal study from the BRASS registry shows that increase rheumatoid arthritis disease activity increases the risk of RA-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).
RA patients without RA-ILD at baseline, enrolled in the Brigham RA Sequential Study (BRASS, 2003–2016), were followed from 2003-2016 with serial clinical, DAS28, serologic and imaging assessments.
NSAIDs Mediate Cardiovascular Risk in OA
NSAIDs have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but does this also hold for osteoarthritis (OA) patients.
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RheumNow Podcast – Tricked Up Lupus Criteria (8.9.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com, including new SLE criteria, ULT in gout and MSU reductions, IVIG in ANCA vasculitis and non-TNF biologics outperform the TNF inhibitors.
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Vitamin D Supplements Fail to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes - DUH!
A NEJM report shows that the use of vitamin D3 supplementation (4000 IU per day) in those without diabetes or vitamin D deficiency failed to significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes (compared to placebo).
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War on RA - Part 3: Useless Drugs
We have options that are endless – we have 28 biologics in rheumatology; 19 approved for RA in the last 20 years, but 15 of these are me-too copies or biosimilars. We currently have 2 JAK inhibitors and may have 3 or 4 by year end. But what we really need is the right drug, at the right time, in the right patient – but how will we know.
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Are Non-TNF Biologics Superior to TNF inhibitors?
Current ACR and EULAR guidelines list TNF-inhibitors (TNFi) abatacept, rituximab, and tocilizumab as being equally effective after methotrexate or as second line therapies when treating rheumatoid arthritis.
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EULAR Recommendations on Large Vessel Vasculitis
Th European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) was originally published in 2009. Since then there have been new randomised clinical trials and cohort analyses leading to an update the original recommendations.
Read ArticleSjogren's Syndrome at Risk for Psychiatric Disorders
A population-based claims study from Taiwan shows significantly increased incidences of depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and sleep disorder in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS).
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RheumNow Podcast – More Than a Spot of Tea (8.2.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal articles and news reports from the past week on RheumNow.com:
MMP-7 and Myositis-ILD; Post-surgical gout attacks; CV events and testosterone; and a Boxed warning for tofacitinib.
Biologic Therapy Improves Psoriasis and Reduces CV Inflammation
Psoriasis confers a significant risk of comorbidity, but is psoriasis associated with increased coronary inflammation and is this risk attenuated by biologic therapy?
JAMA Cardiology has published a cohort study of 134 consecutive patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, showing that biologic therapy was associated with a significant decrease in coronary inflammation as assessed by perivascular fat attenuation index, a marker of coronary inflammation associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Patients not receiving biologic therapy had no change in perivascular fat attenuation index at 1 year.
TNF Inhibitor and Biologic Induced Psoriasis
Analysis of RA patients in the German biologics register, RABBIT, shows an increased risk of psoriasis with TNF inhibitor (TNFi) compared to csDMARDs and other non-TNFi biologics.
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Top Rheumatology Centers Led by Johns Hopkins
Medscape has reported the results of the US News & World Report's annual ranking of the best adult rheumatology hospitals nationwide has again honored Johns Hopkins Hospital, with runner up status going to the Cleveland Clinic, Hospital for Special Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Unive
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