All News
Resistant Hypertension Common in SLE
Rates of resistant hypertension were doubled among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), significantly increasing their mortality risks, a retrospective single-center study found.
Read ArticleCyclosporin and IVIG Effective in Kawasaki's Disease
A Lancet study has shown that adding cyclosporin to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) Kawasaki disease patients, who were predicted to be resistant to IVIG, was both safe and effective in averting severe coronary artery outcomes.
Read ArticleCongenital Heart Block: Dangers Ahead
Children of autoantibody-positive mothers who were born with congenital heart block were at high risk for developing later cardiovascular and autoimmune disorders, as were their siblings, Swedish researchers reported.
Read ArticleDermatology Guidelines for Psoriatic Comorbidities
The JAAD has published joint guidelines from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) on the approach, management and dermatolgist roles for select comorbid conditions.
Read ArticleAllopurinol Reduces Cardiovascular Outcomes in Diabetes
A Canadian study has shown that elderly diabetics who take allopurinol have a significant reduction in cardiovascular outcomes.
Read ArticleDoes Smoking Cessation Reduce RA Risk?
Individuals who quit smoking and maintained their nonsmoking status over a long duration of time had a decreased risk of developing seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an analysis of two large prospective cohorts found.
Read ArticleFDA Slaps a Boxed Warning on Febuxostat for CV Risk
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed data from the Cardiovascular Safety of Febuxostat and Allopurinol in Patients with Gout and Cardiovascular Morbidities (CARES) trial and concluded there is an increased risk of death with Uloric (febuxostat) compared with allopurinol, and has added this as a boxed warning to the drug’s product label.
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast - Death and Surgery (2-22-19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com:
Read ArticleSafety Warnings for Higher Dose Tofacitinib
Pfizer has issued a press release regarding the safety of tofacitinib, citing higher rates of pulmonary embolism and death associated with the use of higher dose tofacitinib 10mg bid in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated in a long-term safety trial.
Read ArticleMortality and Hospitalization with Pulmonary Hypertension in Systemic Sclerosis
PHAROS is a prospective cohort studying the natural history of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). They have shown that risk factors for poor outcomes in this cohort included male sex, DLCO < 50%, exercise oxygen desaturation, and pericardial effusions.
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast – Downside of Lupus (2.9.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews this past week's news and reports from RheumNow.com:
Read ArticleBiologics in Psoriasis Tied to Better Heart Health
Biologic therapy for severe psoriasis was associated with better plaque morphology and less non-calcified coronary plaque, according to a prospective, observational study.
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast – Rheumatologist Salaries (12.21.18)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from RheumNow for the week ending 12/21/18.
Read ArticleCV Risks Similar in Systemic Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Interactions between disease-related inflammatory processes and the development of several morbidities have been well-studied in RA, particularly heart disease. This is not the case for the often-lethal SSc (estimated standardized mortality ratio between 2.5 and 4.0).
Read ArticleRheumNow Podcast – To Needle or Not to Needle (11.30.18)
Dr. Jack Cush updates the news and reports from the past week at RheumNow.com:
Read ArticleRheumatoid Lung Disease Imposes Significant Morbidity and Mortality
Insurance claims data were analyzed for the frequency of interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and finds that although rare, its frequency increased over time and it is associated with a significant mortality rate.
Read ArticleHigh CV Risk in Lupus
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remain at risk for accelerated atherosclerosis, and important questions have yet to be answered, British investigators reported.
Read ArticleThe RheumNow Podcast – Heartbreak of Methotrexate (11.16.18)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news from the past week at RheumNow.com.
Read ArticleSubclinical Heart Inflammation Seen in RA
Subclinical myocardial inflammation is common among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and is associated with articular disease activity, researchers reported.
Read ArticleCIRT Trial - Methotrexate Fails at Cardiovascular Prevention
Methotrexate has been shown to reduce cardiovascular (CV) deaths in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Given that inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of atherothrombosis, Dr. Paul Ridker and colleagues studied the value of low dose methotrexate (MTX) in preventing cardiovascular events.
Read Article


