RheumNow Podcast- Corona Increases RA Risk (3.13.20)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Earlier Anakinra Initiation Warranted in Still's Disease

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An Italian study examined the outcomes in adult onset Still's disease (AOSD) based on whether they received early or delayed treatment with anakinra (ANK). 

A total of 141 AOSD patients were retrospectively studied.

Switching Biologics in JIA

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While there are numerous agents approved for use in juvenile idiopathic arthritis, little is know about actual use biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) use or switching in the biologic era. A cohort comparison study has shown that after an unsuccessful trial of a first biologic, changing to a second TNFi is as effective as switching to a non-TNFi biologic.

Hospitalized GPA - Higher morbidity, Mortality and Cost

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Rheumatology reports on a study of patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) showing worse outcomes and higher costs when hospitalized with GPA.

Diabetes in OA: Pain Is Worse

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Among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), pain was greater for those with coexisting diabetes mellitus (DM), and this association was independent of obesity and radiographic severity, European researchers found. 

RheumNow Podcast - Despite Corona (3.6.20)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Updates on Psoriatic Arthritis at ACR 2018

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I think 2018 was the year that belonged to psoriatic arthritis (although some may argue in favor of immune conditions induced by Checkpoint inhibitors). Many years ago the late Professor Verna Wright in Leeds (UK) was a lone voice for many years describing the clinical subtypes of Psoriatic arthritis as something distinctive from rheumatoid arthritis. For a long time we thought that the treatments for PsA were just the same as RA since we were treating the same problem of synovitis.

Airway Inflammation Drives Rheumatoid Risk

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A cohort analysis of the Nurses' Health Study suggests that asthma and COPD are associated with increased risk for incident rheumatoid arthritis (RA), independent of smoking- thus airway inflammation may be an important factor in the evolution of pre-cllnical RA.

Don't Blame the Weather in Sjogren's

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Seasonal variations in symptoms -- commonly reported by patients with rheumatic diseases -- were not observed in a large cohort of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome, French investigators found.

Folate Levels Protect from CV Mortality in RA

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In a study of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, JAMA reports that serum folate level of greater than 4.3 ng/mL was associated with lower CV mortality risk.

Fatigue Looms Large in Lupus

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Fatigue is an important component of the disease experience in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and can have a profound impact on patients' perception of well-being, Italian researchers reported.

Why You Should Come to RheumNow Live March 13th

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RheumNow Live kicks off its second annual meeting - a little, big meeting in Fort Worth - in just 2 weeks and I think you should be there.

ACR Releases Reproductive Health Guidelines for Rheumatic Diseases

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Today, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) published the 2020 Guideline for the Management of Reproductive Health in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases.

Hyperuricemia Predisposes to Coronary Artery Disease in Men

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There are numerous associations between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular disease (CVD). An analysis of the Swedish SCAPIS Pilot study shows that higher levels of serum urate (SU) are associated with an increase in coronary artery calcification score in men but not in women. SU is not associated with common carotid intima-media thickness and carotid plaque scores in either men or women.

No Cancer Increase in Psoriatic Arthritis or with Biologics in Psoriasis

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JAMA Dermatology reports that psoriasis is associated with a slightly increased risk of cancer, particularly keratinocyte cancer and lymphomas.

Tofacitinib Effective in Refractory Still's Disease

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Fourteen cases reported from mainland China suggest that tofacitinib (TOFA) may be effective in patients with refractory adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD), further adding to a growing list of potential use of JAK inhibition in managing inflammatory, and now autoinflammatory, disease.

Seronegativity on the Rise in RA

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Although the overall incidence rates of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have remained stable over recent decades, there has been a significant increase in seronegative cases, a retrospective study showed.

Adverse Effects of Low-Dose Methotrexate from the CIRT Trial

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Low-dose methotrexate (LD-MTX) was studied in high risk cardiac patients in the cardiac intervention trial (CIRT), but was prematurely ended for not showing a change in cardiovascular event rates. Nonetheless this trial studied the safety and adverse event rates of LD-MTX and those results are reported in the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

RheumNow Podcast - RWCS Quick Hits (2.14.20)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the highlights from the 2020 RWCS meeting in Maui, Hawaii.

PEXIVAS - Plasma Exhange Fails to Boost Outcomes in Severe AAV

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The PEXIVAS study showed that plasma exchange did not reduce the incidence of death or ESKD in patients with severe ANCA–associated vasculitis.