A population-based claim study from Sweden has shown that lupus and pre-lupus patients are at risk for adverse maternal and fetal outcomes.
Investigators with the Swiss Clinical Quality Management (SCQM) program have studied the effects of obesity on patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and, specifically, their response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi).
Streptococcus pneumonia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in adults; including patients with autoimmune diseases who are at particular risk.
In 2014, the ACIP recommended routine use of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in series with the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine PPSV23 for adults ≥ 65 years, with the goal of providing broader protection by adding the PCV13 recommendation.
It does not come as a surprise to anyone anymore that Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is one of the major causes of morbidity and preterm mortality in RA. What we don’t know is what measures need to be taken to modify the risk and how effective such measures are.
This nationwide population-based cohort study addresses the issue of efficacy of treatment options and treatment algorithms in reduction of ACS in RA patients.
A recent report in Nature Communications has studied multiple nationalities has shown a "disentangled complex HLA multigenic effect" underlying the genetic basis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). (Citation source: http://buff.ly/2u623Ht)
Curbside Consults are cases submitted by our rheumatology colleagues as challenging therapeutic or safety issues. Answers are based on experience, with added evidence from the medical literature and published guidelines. Here are four new cases.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The cardioprotective benefits of aspirin (ASA) are well known and the ancillary CV and diabetogenic effects of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have also been shown. A current study in the Journal of Rheumatology has shown that thromboprophylaxis with low-dose ASA and HCQ) yields CVD benefits in SLE.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the IL-23 inhibitor, Tremfya (guselkumab), for patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com:
Systemic inflammation (from underling inflammatory polyarthritis) clearly accelerates atherosclerosis with a resultant increase risk of cardiovascular disease.
A recent analysis of 3 groups of treatment-naïve, early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) patients looked at the factors that influenced the choice of therapy.
The 12 month POET study analyzed 817 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who achieved remission or low disease activity (LDAS) for ≥6 months and then randomized 2:1 to stopping or continuing their TNF inhibitor. They found that stopping TNFi had significantly negative consequences in the negative short-term, with fewer long-term negative consequences to drug cessation.
Acute diffuse lung infiltration in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) requires prompt evaluation for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) when patients have low levels of hemoglobin and complement compound C4 and symptoms of hypoxia. The development of DAH was significantly associated with the presence of these features, South Korean researchers have found.
Among older patients using medium to high doses of the anti-inflammatory steroid prednisolone, treatment with the osteoporosis drug alendronate was associated with a significantly lower risk of hip fracture, according to a study published by JAMA.
Rituximab, a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has been effectively used in the treatment of multiple autoimmune disorders for over two decades. But the response to rituximab has been shown to not be as effective in SLE as it is in RA.
