People with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) are at risk of a number of comorbidities, from cardiovascular diseases to cognitive impairment and fractures. The 2026 EULAR Congress showcased new data and ideas around various comorbidities and drug safety issues in people with an RMD – highlighting the need for integrated care. Here are five abstracts to consider.

Clinicians often come across the scenario of a patient with well-controlled spondyloarthritis where the ASDAS in the low disease activity range, CRP normalised, joints clinically quiet. However, the patient returns to the clinic still reporting significant pain. Their rheumatologist adjusts the biological, waits, returns. The pain persists.

Dietary interventions are rarely taken as seriously as pharmacological therapies in rheumatology. Yet patients ask about them constantly, and an increasing number of studies suggest that nutrition may influence disease outcomes. Two randomized controlled trials presented at EULAR 2026 add to this growing literature in PsA and RA. However, before we start prescribing Mediterranean diets, the data deserve a closer look.

Few topics in rheumatology have reshaped prescribing behaviour as dramatically as the safety concerns surrounding JAK inhibitors following ORAL Surveillance and the subsequent FDA and EMA warnings.