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MMWR: Arthritis Prevalence Increases and Varies Widely
MMWR reports that In 2015, the number of adults with arthritis continued to increase; with marked geographic variability in arthritis estimates with gaps in arthritis management.
Read ArticleThe RheumNow Week in Review - 9 March 2018
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and recent research published this past week on RheumNow.com. This week's report includes news on new regulatory changes, new indication for tofacitinib, the rise and deficits of opioids and the benefits of fish and bariatric surgery.
Read ArticleDSB – Safety Updates & Drug Shortages – March 2018
This edition of RheumNow's Drug Safey Bulletin includes drug safety news, FDA updates, FDA safety labeling changes and reported drug shortages.
Read ArticleOpioid Overdoses Jump 30% in 2017
The CDC released new information yesterday showing that emergency department (ED) visits for opioid overdoses rose 30% in the US from July 2016 through September 2017; in addition, those with an overdose are more likely to a repeat overdose.
Read ArticleOpioids No Better than NSAIDs at Chronic Pain
JAMA reports that the SPACE trial demonstrates patients with chronic back or arthritis pain respond equally to 12 months of either opioids or non-opioid (acetaminophen or NSAIDs) analgesics.
Read ArticleHERO Trial - Hydroxychloroquine Fails in Hand Osteoarthritis
UK researchers have treated 248 patients with moderate to severe hand pain and radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) and demonstrated no benefit after 12 months of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), according to a recent article in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Read ArticleNHANES Survey Shows OA Rising and RA Declining
An analysis of 43,706 adults from the 1999-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) demonstrated temporal trends in the prevalence of arthritis, including a rise in osteoarthritis (OA) from 6.6% to 14.3%, while the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) decreased from 5.9%
Read ArticleTop 10 MMWR CDC Reports from 2017
Here are the 10 most talked about MMWR Reports of 2017.
Read ArticleThe RheumNow Week in Review - 2 February 2018
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights, news and recent research published this week on RheumNow.com. This week's report includes rising epidemiologic numbers, vaccine updates for H.
Read ArticleOpioid Use in Ankylosing Spondylitis
A prospective study has shown that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients often require narcotic analgesics to manage pain unresponsive to antiinflammatory therapies.
Read Article15% of Users Exceed Recommended OTC NSAID Dosing
New data shows that nearly 15 percent of adult ibuprofen users exceed the maximum recommended dose of ibuprofen or other NSAIDs in a one-week period.
Read ArticleTeriparatide Superior to Risedronate in the VERO Trial
Lancet reports that in a study teriparatide with risedronate, post-menopausal women with severe osteoporosis had significantly fewer new vertebral and clinical fractures on teriparatide comared to those receiving risedronate.
Read ArticleTwo Types of Osteoarthritis Based on Cartilage Studies
A report from Annals of Rheumatic Diseases suggests that osteoarthritis (OA) may be two distinct diseases based on genetic studies of articular cartilage. (Citation source: https://buff.ly/2mNtUsL).
Read ArticleNew Rise in Hip Fractures Amongst Women
Reuters reports that the incidence of hip fractures in older women in the U.S. is rising after more than a decade of decline, according to a large new study of Medicare recipients.
Read ArticleIbuprofen’s Anti-androgenic Effect May Result in Hypogonadism in Males
PNAS reports use of ibuprofen by males may result in antiandrogen effects that may contribute to adult male reproductive problems.
Read Article40% of Arthritis Patients Fail to Receive Exercise Guidance
The latest issue of CDC’s MMWR reports that exercise counseling among arthritis patients increased from 52% to 61% (2002 to 2014); hence ~40% do not receive health care provider counseling, suggesting the need for provider education and training in exercise counseling, and improved electroni
Read ArticleCannibis Weakly Effective in Neuropathic Pain
The medical use of cannabis is often extended to management of chronic pain and neuropathic pain.
A metanalysis of 27 chronic pain trials show that there is low-strength evidence that cannabis alleviates neuropathic pain but insufficient evidence in other pain populations.
Read ArticleAASM Guidelines for Sleep Apnea Testing
A task force from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) performed a systematic review of the scientific literature on obstructive sleep apnea and screening tests.
Read ArticleFibromyalgia Diagnosed by Two Simple Tests
Researchers from the Oregon Health Science Center have reported that fibromyalgia can be distinguished from chronic pain by primary care providers (PCPs) who employ two simple screening tests: BP cuff-evoked pain and a single patient question, and pain induced by pinching the Achilles tendon.&nbs
Read ArticleOpioid Crisis Costs US $500 Billion
Reuters reports that the opioid crisis has cost the United States as much as $504 billion in 2015, based on a White House economists report released this week. The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) said the toll from the opioid crisis represented 2.8% of gross dom
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