Barry Waters, MD*: I have a 21 yr old lupus nephritis patient on mycophenolate, hydroxychloroquine and prednisone 40 mg per day. She says both her current nephrologist and her prior pediatric rheumatologist told her NOT to get pneumococcal and flu vaccines.
Researchers at Stanford University analyzed 2013 Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage claims for narcotic painkillers containing hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine and other opioids. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1JgR2Tr)
I am often asked the question: When is the right time to taper a patient off opioids?
My view is that a patient should be tapered any time the risks exceed the benefits, or when treatment goals are not being met.
Risks of prescribing long-acting medications to patients who may be high risk for opioid addiction are a real concern -- something I've devoted much time and research to.
Researchers from Keio University have published their results using novel JAK inhibitor peficitinib (ASP015K) as a monotherapy in moderate to severe RA patients.
A study published in the BMJ Christmas issue shows only 13% of academic positions at US medical schools are held by women. Sadly, and strangely, even the uncommon subset, men with moustaches, outnumbered (20%) the women in academic leadership spots.
Rheumatologists and physicians are commonly asked, "what can I do to avoid rheumatoid arthritis?" This is usually a concern for family members of those affected by RA.
However, the answers to this question aren't so clear. Few patients will inherit RA from a parent or family member. Even monozygotic twins will have less than 20% chance of both developing RA, if one has RA.
Obesity is a modest risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) onset. More importantly, obese patients have significanty lower treatment responses to DMARDs and biologics, making them harder to treat than your average RA patient.
Notalgia, Lyme disease in Texas and still wearing your hospital ID bracelet? You may have been misdiagnosed and instead have fibromyalgia!
At the 2015 ACR annual meeting in San Francisco, Len Calabrese, DO, of the Cleveland Clinic, gave a plenary session talk linking "shingles" infection to an increased risk of CVA (see video).
As I think of the many meetings I attend as a speaker or attendee, the experience ranges from grueling to exhilarating. Yes, each venue has its own merit, including furthering my education, presenting my research, and, certainly, seeing old friends and interesting places. This particular trip had all of this but so much more.
German investigators studied 100 RA patients with a uric acid > 6 mg/dl and assessed them for MSU crystal deposit with dual energy computed tomography (DECT) of both feet and hands.
Getting the right drug to the right patient isn’t quite as easy as it should be. Here's a collection of appeal trench war musings and tactics with a sample letter for all to use.
The Journal of Immunology has published the findings of Virginia Tech researchers who have studied plasmacytoid dendritic cells and their ability to induce type I alpha interferon (IFN-α) in lupus. (Citation source: http://buff.ly/1MceeCl)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported a sharp rise in tularemia, especially in Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. As of 9/30/15 a total of 100 cases have been reported, which is up from an annual average of 20 cases seen in these 4 states seen between 2004 to 2014. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1Z4y6jQ)
(Reuters Health) - Water- or land-based exercise should provide some short-term benefit in pain management for hip osteoarthritis, though there are few well-designed trials testing it, according to a new review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
