Lyme disease, caused by the spirochete Borrelia burdofgeri, is the most common vector-borne illness reported in the U.S.

This special edition of the RheumNow Week in Review covers highlights of selected sessions from the 2017 ACR annual meeting in San Diego. Dr.

While the incidence of pneumocystis pneumonia (PJP) is low is patients with rheumatologic diseases the mortality is quite high compared to PJP in patients with HIV and infection can be prevented with appropriate prophylaxis.

During today’s plenary session Micheal D. George, et al. presented results of a study that sought to compare risk of post-op infections in RA patients undergoing arthroplasty exposed to biologic DMARDs versus methotrexate.

Curtis and colleagues presented a plenary session that analyzed the duration of drug holidays and the risk of subsequent fractures (FX) in women starting bisphosphonates (BP).

Even though Arkansas lies on the edge of the geographic range of the principal Lyme disease tick vector, Ixodes scapularis, the risk for Lyme infection is low, and no confirmed Lyme disease cases were reported in Arkansas during 2008–2014 (1)

The  U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on 25 October they endorsed the use of the new GSK shingles vaccine (Shingrix) over the currently available live-virus vaccine (Zostavax) from Merck. 

The German Rheumatoid Arthritis Biologics Registry (RABBIT) has developed an infectious risk calculator that can project a patient's risk of serious infection in the next 6 months based on several key factors - age, Prior DMARDs, prednisone dose, comorbidities and the biologic intended for use.&n

The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. In this week's report, Dr. Jack Cush discusses presentations from APLAR 2017 in Dubai, Catastrophic APS, safety of low-dose prednisone, frequency of psoriatic arthritis and a new drug for PsA and a hepatitis A outbreak in San Diego.

The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. In this week's report, Dr. Jack Cush discusses when to hold the biologic, lymphoma risk with tofacitinib, early clues to the diagnosis of RA, biologic use in pregnancy, what's killing psoriasis patients and the 2016 top 5, best selling drugs in rheumatology.

The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. This week's report discusses regulatory actions by NICE and FDA, higher death rates in RA and psoriasis, increased risk of RA with Asthma, rising numbers for OA, RA, and STDs.

GlaxoSmithKline has announced that the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously in support of the efficacy, safety and approval of its herpes zoster subunit (HZ/su) vaccine (called Shingrix) for the prevention of herpes zoster (shingles) in adults ages 50 and over.

The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. This week's report discusses survey results on membranous nephritis and patient perceptions of steroids, nonadherence, celebrity arthritis and IgG4 treatment.

The RheumNow Week in Review discusses the past week's news, journal articles and highlights from RheumNow.com. This week's report discusses metabolic syndrome in lupus, bisphosphonate holidays, vasculitis and vascular inflammation, vaccination, and the repeated wonders of Vitamin D.

Reuters reports that the FDA advisory panel has voted 11-0 in favor of the safety and efficacy and ultimate approval of GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix shingles vaccine for use in adults aged 50 and over.

It is well known that influenza infection is more common in patients with rheumatologic diseases. Blumentals et al.

The current issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology features an editorial and two novel articles on the herpes zoster vaccine.

Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial infections are among the most frequently reported opportunistic infections in the setting of biologic therapy. While there are hundreds of NTM species, only a minority are clinically relevant. In this review, I'll address important NTM diagnosis and management issues relevant to patients receiving biologic therapy.

The RheumNow Week in Review caps the week's news every Friday. Dr Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports and important events from the past week in rheumatology.

Increased morbidity and mortality from infectious causes in patients with autoimmune disorders has led to the overall consensus that vaccination of such patients is important and should be widely promoted in clinical practice.