Osteoporosis is a major public health problems and is associated with a high burden of fractures and subsequent increased mortality.

Gastrointestinal perforation is a rare but serious complication that RA patients may be at particular risk for. With the advent of so many new biologics for the treatment of RA, tocilizumab has fallen under the spotlight for its association with lower GI perforations which was first noted during initial clinical trials.

No new osteoporosis drugs hit the market this year, but two are progressing through the development pipeline and are showing promise. And while the efficacy and safety of denosumab (Prolia) have now been followed out to 10 years in a large clinical trial, the rate of use of bone-strengthening medications among patients at high risk of fracture has fallen by half during the past decade, which constitutes a crisis in care, experts say.

Do hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries treated by female internists have lower rates of 30-day mortality and hospital readmission than those patients treated by men? A new study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that they do.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from this week on RheumNow.com

Combe and leading European rheumatologist have published an update to the 2007 European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for management of early arthritis. This committee strongly recommends early (< 6 weeks) referral to the rheumatologist and that early management should be guided by the rheumatologist.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may occur in up to half of patients in their lifetime.However, dementia is often not reported or studied in cohorts with neurologic disease in lupus. A nationwide cohort in 2004–2008 included SLE (n = 1,074) and non-SLE (n = 5,370; age- and sex-matched controls) and were followed for up to 7 years for the out come of dementia.

I got onto flight #610 from Atlanta to Dallas the other day and was greeted by a flight attendant in first class. After introducing himself, he said, “That’s my name and you can imagine how it’s gone for the past 25 years.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case over whether companies that make biosimilar drugs must wait six months after federal approval before they bring them to the market.

Researchers from Manchester, UK have reported the results of their BRAGGSS study showing that certolizumab (CZP) random drug levels and anti-drug antibody (ADAbs) levels can predict optimal outcomes in CZP treated rheumatoid arthritis patients. 

Combustible and smokeless tobacco use causes adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease and multiple types of cancer. Cigarette consumption in the United States has declined overall since the 1960s, but consumption of other tobacco products has not.