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Rheumatoid arthritis begins long before symptoms
EurekAlert!
Scientists have discovered that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doesn’t start when the pain begins. It silently starts years earlier.The new research reveals that people at risk for RA experience dramatic immune system changes long before they feel symptoms.
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High-Resolution CT in CTD-Interstitial Lung Disease
A systematic review and meta-analysis examined the role of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in diagnosing and characterizing interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with connective tissue diseases (CTDs).
Big Fat FDA Pink Slip (9.19.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this week on RheumNow.com. Today we cover GLP-1 agonists, acupuncture, what JAKs won’t do & an FDA Pink Slip.
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GLP-1 Drugs Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
MedPage Today
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who used GLP-1 receptor agonists had less disease activity and improved cardiovascular biomarkers, a small retrospective study indicated.
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STOP-RA: Hydroxychloroquine Fails in ACPA+ Arthralgia
Deane et al has published the results of the STOP-RA trial, demonstrating that 12 months of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) did not prevent the development of clinical RA at 36 months.
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Prospective French study of 101 RA-ILD (mean 66yrs) assessed for shorter WBC telomere length (LTL); short LTL seen in 43% & assoc w/ lower FVC (82% vs 93%pred) & TLCO (49% vs 63%) & greater FVC/DLCO decline & lung progression after 12 mos (47% vs 22%; p<0.001) https://t.co/ObVeon0riy
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Monthly survey - 351 ArthritisPower #RA Registry pts reported 523 nonserious infxns (31% ; most URI), few resulted in ED or hospitalization. But NSIA led to missed work (37%) or RA Rx interruptions (26%) and more fatigue. NSIE may contribute to more disease flares https://t.co/Al5B5oxvFg
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Panel of IPF assoc 8 biomarkers (eotaxin, Flt-3L, IL-8, MDC, MCP-1, MMP-2/7/9) tested in 2 RA-ILD cohorts (n 164). IPF multibiomarker scores higher in RA-ILF vs RA alone. Highest quartile had ~2 fold incr risk of prevalent & incident ILD https://t.co/vYg9iB4EtH https://t.co/5ZZx6gg7A4
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
GLP-1 Drugs Reduce Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who used GLP-1 receptor agonists had less disease activity and improved cardiovascular biomarkers, a small retrospective study indicated.
https://t.co/x2soZxuZCO https://t.co/84lnQOzsvP
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Equal Safety of JAK Inhibitors and TNF Inhibitors
JAMA has published a systematic review and meta-analysis of head-to-head studies showing there was no meaningful difference in safety events observed when taking either JAK inhibitor (JAKi) vs TNF antagonist (TNFi) therapies for https://t.co/DTux5QdETS
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
STOP-RA: Hydroxychloroquine Fails in ACPA+ Arthralgia
Deane et al has published the results of the STOP-RA trial, demonstrating that 12 months of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) did not prevent the development of clinical RA at 36 months.
https://t.co/wsnc9uZi1P https://t.co/MwZJAQs7Rt
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
SMART study - Single vs. Split Dose Methotrexate in RA
Split dose weekly, oral methotrexate (MTX) was shown to be superior to single dose MTX in treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
https://t.co/K0C63GgHvn https://t.co/FTJ11fpKnB
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
RA-associated interstitial lung disease or bronchiectasis is assoc w/ increased risk of total and cause-specific mortality. retrospective cohort study using the Mass General Brigham Biobank 221 RA-LD cases (151 RA-ILD, 70 RA-BR). RA-LD higher mortality (34 vs 13/1000PY; HR
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
STOP-RA: Hydroxychloroquine Fails in ACPA+ Arthralgia
Deane et al has published the results of the STOP-RA trial, demonstrating that 12 months of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) did not prevent the development of clinical RA at 36 months.
https://t.co/HLLhwgcVrS https://t.co/MKpeXhVdoe
Links:
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
How to assess ILD in your patients?
Have a high index of suspicion in your patients with connective tissue disease (especially systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myositis), and rheumatoid arthritis. All patients with CTD may develop ILD but it is more common (% of patients with https://t.co/UXdvPJCqDi
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Hitting the Target: T2T Therapy in SLE
Treat-to-target strategies are not a new concept in rheumatology. It has shown to improve patient outcomes and quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis and is now being increasingly adopted not only in SLE research https://t.co/PfnG0AeJsH
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Evidence of immune ageing detected at the earliest stages of RA. Study of 69 controls, 32 CSA, 44 undiff. arthritis (UA), 23 early RA, & 56 DMARD naive RA. UA & CSA had reduced naive CD4 T cells. Th17, Tregs &7 senescent T cells, were only seen once RA was established. https://t.co/c1wiA5gvM5
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
SMART study - Single vs. Split Dose Methotrexate in RA
Split dose weekly, oral methotrexate (MTX) was shown to be superior to single dose MTX in treating active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
https://t.co/JN5wPGNjao https://t.co/lizsrtVHwf
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Future Perspectives of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Dr. Kuni Yamaoka, shares highlights from the Future Perspectives of Rheumatoid Arthritis session at the APLAR 2025 Congress in Fukuoka, Japan.
https://t.co/LGLqe48R2L https://t.co/Kwp3cFPtyw
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
QD Clinic: Progressive RA-ILD Management
Dr. Richard Conway, a rheumatologist in Dublin, discusses a case about managing progressive rheumatoid arthritis-interstitial lung disease, as part of RheumNow's Rheum to Breathe: ILD campaign, presented throughout the month of September https://t.co/dLCXeXwl7w
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
