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RheumNow Podcast – What Not to Do (7.16.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Osteonecrosis in Lupus
A single center analysis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients found symptomatic osteonecrosis (ON) in nearly 10%.
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Arthritis as a Harbinger of Pediatric Cancer
Lancet Rheumatology has published a cohort analysis showing that a small but significant subset of children presenting with arthralgia or arthritis may have a pediatric malignancy.
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ACR/Vasculitis Foundation 2021 Guidelines for ANCA–Associated Vasculitis
Chung et al have published the 2021 treatment guielines for the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis, including granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. These guidelines are put forth by the ACR and the Vasculitis Foundation as benchmark guidance to assist health care professionals in managing AAV.
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Slow Steroid Tapering Succeeds in SLE
Gradual withdrawal of glucocorticoids was successful among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) after 2 years of clinically quiescent disease, without an increased likelihood of flares, Canadian researchers reported.
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Potential Birth Defects with Hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is one of the safest meds used in rheumatology, but there is new claims data suggesting a small increase in the risk of malformations associated with first-trimester HCQ use.
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Is Pre-Clinical Spondyloarthritis a Real Risk?
A study of first-degree relatives (FDRs) of HLA-B27-positive axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) patients shows clinical or imaging features of spondyloarthritis in up to 32% subjects, regardless of HLA-B27 status.
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Rare Myocarditis Risk following COVID-19 Vaccine
MMWR review of the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis reports a June 23, 2021 recommendation by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination clearly outweighed the risks of myocarditis after vaccination.
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ICYMI: RheumNow Podcast – Tofacitinib Safety Concerns
Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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ICYMI: 2020 Rheumatology Year in Review
2020 was historic, memorable and game-changing. Under the cloud of COVID-19, there were many significant and memorable advances and setbacks for the rheumatology world. In our accounting of most read articles for 2020, (not surprisingly) 17/20 were COVID-related.
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ICYMI: EULAR Guidelines on Intraarticular Therapy
EULAR has published evidence-based recommendations on the use of intra-articular therapies (IAT) based on the literature review and recommendations of a multidisciplinary international task force. These IAT recommendations apply to adult patients with peripheral arthropathies.
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ICYMI: Rheumatologists Rank 2nd in Physician Burnout
The 2021 Medscape Survey on Physician burnout ranks rheumatology second, just behind Critical Care medicine.
The survey included over 12,000 physcians from 20 specialties. While 42% of MDs claimed to be burnt-out, Rheumatologists claimed this 50% of the time. The top 3 this year were Critical care (51%), Rheumatology (50%) and infectious disease (49%).
ICYMI: Actemra FDA Approved for Systemic Sclerosis Interstitial Lung Disease
Genentech announced Thursday that the US Food and Drug Administration approved tocilizumab (Actemra) for the treatment of Systemic Sclerosis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease (SSc-ILD), specifically indicated for slowing the rate of decline in pulmonary function in adul
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ICYMI: Cardiac and Cancer Signals Tofacitinib Safety Alert from FDA
The FDA has notified healthcare professionals of a safety alert concerning tofacitinib (Xeljanz), noting that preliminary results from a long-term safety clinical trial show an increased risk of serious heart-related problems and cancer with tofacitinib (compared to adalimumab) when given to at-risk rheumatoid arthritis patients. These findings are in addition to the thrombotic risks (added to the label), potential risks including blood clots in the lungs and death.
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ICYMI: JAK Inhibitor Misses Endpoint in Safety Study. Now What?
Pfizer announced results Wednesday from its FDA-mandated postmarketing safety study of tofacitinib (Xeljanz), and they don't bode well for the drug and possibly others in its class.
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