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Biologic Therapy of Psoriasis May Prevent Psoriatic Arthritis
Another retrospective cohort study has shown that biologic treatment of psoriasis may reduce the subsequent incidence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
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Passive Smoke Exposure and Rheumatoid Risk
A current report in Arthritis & Rheumatology examined the Nurses Health Study II data set and shows that parental smoking, and passive exposure to children, can later lead to an increased risk of adult-onset incident seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
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RheumNow Podcast – Driving in Pain (8.20.2021)
You know, I'm a very good driver. We all think we're great drivers - but consider what it's like to drive in pain: would you be a good driver? Also, I want you to consider the diagnosis of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate disease (CPPD). But first, let's look at a study out of Scotland, looking at military service and greater risk of hip and knee replacement.
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Oligoarticular vs. Polyarticular Psoriatic Arthritis
A psoriatic arthritis (PsA) cohort analysis reveals many similarities and few distinctions between those who present with oligoarticular and polyarticular PsA.
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Sustained Effectiveness of mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 Hospitalizations
The CDC has reported that mRNA vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19–associated hospitalizations was sustained over 24 weeks; but there is evidence of waning protection amongst the immunosuppressed.
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EULAR Points on Managing Difficult Rheumatoid Arthritis
A EULAR task force has promulgated several points to consider in managing difficult-to-treat RA. These "points" are unique in directing the rheumatologist's attention to the potential for misdiagnosis and the impact of comorbid conditions on what is perceived as poorly controlled RA.
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HHS, FDA & CDC Joint Recommendation on COVID Booster
Today, public health and medical experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the following statement on the Administration’s plan for COVID-19 booster shots for the American people.
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Tocilizumab in Refractory Skin and Joint Scleroderma
The interleukin-6 inhibitor, tocilizumab (TCZ), was studied in a cohort of difficult systemic sclerosis (SSc) and was shown to be effective in refractory joint and skin disease with good long-term retention rates and disease stabilization.
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Inflammatory Arthritis Impairs Male Fertility
A new study in Annals of Rheumatic Disease shows that inflammatory arthritis (IA) may impair male fertility, especially during the peak reproductive age when lower fertility rates, higher childlessness rates and more fertility problems were seen.
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ACR Update on Tocilizumab Shortages
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is actively engaged with the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) drug shortage team as they work with the manufacturer to resolve current shortages of tocilizumab (Actemra).
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Non-Serious Infection Risk with Biologics in RA
Nonserious infections (NSI) comprise the bulk of all infections seen with biologic therapies; new data from British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register for Rheumatoid Arthritis shows that while NSI are more common than serious infections, the predictors of NSI are the same as serious infections.
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What Factors Predict RA in First-Degree Relatives?
Among a cohort of first-degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), certain patient characteristics, as well as symptoms, helped predict a possible increased risk for developing the disease, U.K. researchers reported.
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Booster Shots for Rheumatology Patients on Immunosuppressive Medications
ATLANTA – The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices today recommended that rheumatology patients being actively treated with high-dose corticosteroids, alkylating agents, antimetabolites, TNF blockers, and other biologic agents that are immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory receive a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
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RheumNow Podcast – Booster Shots for COVID (8.13.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Anakinra's Effects on COVID-19 Outcomes
Sporadic reports of anakinra use in COVID-19 infection has hinted is potential; now a metanalysis shows that the use of anakinra may reduce the mortality risk in patients admitted to hospital with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia, especially highly elevated ferritin and C-reactive prote
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COVID Vaccine Booster Effective for Transplant Recipients in Small Trial
For organ transplant recipients, a third dose of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine more than tripled the proportion with a sufficient antibody response, a randomized trial showed.
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Biologics Reduce Surgical Needs in RA
In Canada, biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) were introduced after 2001, and since that time there have been significant reductions in hip and knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but not in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).
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Rare Risk of Serious Adverse Events After COVID Vaccination
The CDC had reported the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) study of rare serious adverse events after COVID-19 vaccination and assert that the excessive morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 (and the protection afforded by vaccination) far exceeds the risk of rare safety signals
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Early MRI Sacroiliac Improvement with JAK Inhibition
The TORTUGA trial tested filgotinib, a JAK1 inhibitor, in active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients and was shown to be both effective and capable of retarding sacroiliac (SI) joint erosions as early as 12 weeks.
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Safety and Tolerability of Subcutaneous Methotrexate
A large, single-rheumatology center analysis of oral and subcutaneous (SC) methotrexate (MTX) use in daily clinical practice suggests that SC MTX has fewer drug discontinuations and is better tolerated compared to other DMARD therapies.
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