A report from The National Databank for Rheumatic Disease addressed the impact of alcohol on disease activity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and found that alcohol use was not associated with changes in disease activity or mortality, after addressing confounders. 

Recent research from the Lown Institute reports that 750 older Americans are hospitalized daily because of serious side effects from and the core problem is that of polypharmacy, especially in the elderly. 

Both allopurinol and febuxostat (Uloric) were associated with an increased risk of hypersensitivity reactions among new users of these urate-lowering therapies, a large U.S. study found.

While the ACR prepares to publish its new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of vasculitis in the Spring of 2020, Dr. John Stone presented his own perspectives on the practical management of vasculitis during the 2019 ACR meeting in Atlanta.  He acknowledged that what may be pearls one day, may be disproven with data in the future.