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Additive Effects of Insomnia and Depression on Osteoarthritis
A study of osteoarthritis patients, finds that pain is the primary driver for health care utilization, and that the presence of insomnia or depression augments health care use.
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RheumNow Podcast – Richer or Poorer (5.17.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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RheumNow Podcast – Periodontitis in RA Relatives (5.10.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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Gabapentinoid Drugs Overuse and Misuse
A recent article in JAMA by Drs. Goodman and Brett reviews the increasing off label use of gabapentinoid drugs, originally developed as antiseizure drugs that are now increasingly prescribed for painful conditions.
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Pilot Study Targets Insulin Resistence in Fibromyalgia
An unusual pilot study has shown that insulin resistence (IR), assessed by Hgb-A1c levels, was more prevalent in fibromyalgia (FM) patients compared to non-diabetic controls and that when FM patients were given metformin, half had complete resolution of their pain.
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Nonadherence is Costly for Patients in Pain
A comparative cohort study of patients with osteoarthritis (OA), gout, diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN), post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), and fibromyalgia (FM) shows that nonadherence to pain medications is high and leads to greater overall health care resource utilization and costs.
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FDA Adds Boxed Warning to Sleep Drugs
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added a Boxed Warning to several sleep medications (e.g., eszopiclone, zaleplon, and zolpidem), warning rare but serious injuries may occur as a result of abnormal sleep behaviors (sleepwalking, sleep driving, and engaging in other activities while not
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Sleep Myths Debunked
A panel of 10 sleep experts studied 20 common sleep myths and found little or no evidence in support of these beliefs.
Sleep issues are highly prevalent among US adults, but few admit to it or do anything to manage it.
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Timing of Shoulder Injections Impacts Surgical Infection Risk
A study of patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff repair shows that corticosteroid injections in the month prior to surgery are associated with a significantly increased risk of surgical site infection.
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Intraarticular Trans-Capsaicin Effective in Knee OA
A novel study has shown that intraarticular therapy with high‐purity synthetic trans‐capsaicin (CNTX‐4975) for chronic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) was associated with significant relief of knee pain.
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RheumNow Podcast – A Tofa Two-fer (4.12.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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RheumNowLive On Demand: The History of Fibromyalgia - Dr. Fred Wolfe
A clip from RheumNow Live On Demand. You can access the full library of content from the meeting.
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Risky Painkillers Commonly Prescribed for Osteoarthritis
Published guidelines warn that treating osteoarthritis (OA) with opioids and benzodiazepines can boost patients' risk of falling.
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CRA Position Statement on Medical Cannabis Use
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.
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Tramadol May be Associated with Increased Mortality in Osteoarthritis
JAMA reports that tramadol use in adults with osteoarthritis (OA) may be associated with increased all-cause mortality (compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
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New Sleep Medicine Guidelines for Obstructive Sleep Apnea
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.
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RheumNow Podcast – Scleroderma and the Lung (3.1.19)
Dr. Jack Cush Reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com
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RheumNow Podcast – Downside of Lupus (2.9.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews this past week's news and reports from RheumNow.com:
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Pain Drives the Use of Medical Marijuana
A report from the University of Michigan examined state-wide medical marijuana showing most of it is used for chronic pain.
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Compounded Pain Creams - Expensive Placebos?
The Annals of Internal Medicine reports that the growth and use of compounded pain creams is unwarranted as they were no better than placebo in a randomized controlled trial, suggesting their higher costs are unjustifiable compared to other topical commercially available agents (lidocain
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