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

On April 3rd, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK, published a rapid guideline for managing children and adults with rheumatological autoimmune, inflammatory and metabolic bone disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, while protecting staff from infection.

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

RheumNow Live kicks off its second annual meeting - a little, big meeting in Fort Worth - in just 2 weeks and I think you should be there.

There are numerous associations between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD). An analysis of the Swedish SCAPIS Pilot study shows that higher levels of serum urate (SU) are associated with an increase in coronary artery calcification score in men but not in women. SU is not associated with common carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaque scores in either men or women.

Science Translational Medicine has a report on how the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors may boost osteoblasts to battle bone erosions in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

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

The NEJM weighs in on the problem of post-menopausal osteoporosis (OP) and tackles the use of hormonal therapy.

The decline in estrogen after menopause may increase risks for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline. The use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to obviate these issues may be primarily driven by hot flashes in postmenopausal women.1

Who may benefit from hormone therapy among postmenopausal women?

Do postmenopausal women, under age 65 years, need a baseline BMD testing? A JAMA Insights review suggests that the absolute risk of fracture is low in this group and that USPSTF guidelines should be considered - that we should be screening women younger than 65 years who are at increased risk of osteoporosis and we should be using a formal risk assessment tool to identify candidates for bone density testing.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com. The podcast covers: best therapies for dactylitis and enthesitis; we have a new knockout for knee pain in OA; and are you on the naughty or nice list when it comes to the new ACR-AF guidelines for arthritis? This and more. Tune in.

A group of Western Australian clinicians have set out to assess current practices and proved guidance recommendations for high-quality care for the most common musculoskeletal (MSK) pain scenarios encountered by clinicians in emergency and primary care.

Rheumatology has a comprehensive overview of methotrexate (MTX) and the risk of lung injury, MTX-related pneumonitis and interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Past reports suggest the frequence of MTX-pneumonitis to be between 0.3 and 11.6%; recent studies suggest it may be much lower.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a relatively new disorder since 2003, and may present as a diagnostic challenge as it can cause fibroinflammatory pathology in nearly any organ. 

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

Gout is a systemic inflammatory disease with high potential for joint damage due to erosive changes and MSU deposits resulting in disability and chronic pain. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment are key to better long term outcomes and decreased disability.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a common condition seen by both primary care and in the rheumatology office.

An analysis from the Women’s Health Initiative study shows that postmenopausal women who participate in vigorous physical activity have a statistically lower risk of total and site-specific fractures

Rheumatology has a comprehensive overview of methotrexate (MTX) and the risk of lung injury, MTX-related pneumonitis and interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Past reports suggest the frequence of MTX-pneumonitis to be between 0.3 and 11.6%; recent studies suggest it may be much lower.

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

Dr. Jack Cush delivers select commentary on select news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.