In recent years, data has emerged suggesting that female patients with spondyloarthritis, both psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, may have worse outcomes than male patients. A number of post-hoc analyses of randomised controlled trials of both TNF inhibitors and IL-17 inhibitors suggest that this phenomenon is also manifested in the responses to these agents; female patients do less well than male patients. The mechanisms behind

As the population ages globally, rheumatologists are caring for an increasingly older patient population more than ever before. In RA alone, nearly 40 percent of patients are now aged 65 years or older. Yet the evidence guiding our treatment decisions continues to come from studies that rarely include them, giving rise to a fundamental question: do we really know how best to treat older adults with rheumatic diseases?

New research presented at ACR Convergence 2025 highlights how the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) registry—the nation’s largest collection of electronic health record data from rheumatology practices—is driving transformative improvements in quality, safety, and patient outcomes across rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

At ACR Convergence 2025, new research explored critical disparities and epidemiologic trends shaping outcomes in autoimmune rheumatic diseases across diverse populations and age groups. Studies presented at the meeting highlighted issues ranging from kidney transplant outcomes in lupus to medication disparities in rheumatoid arthritis and demographic patterns in systemic sclerosis and axial spondyloarthritis.