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Elderly patients treated with high doses of corticosteroids are bound to have multiple medical problems. But this was only recently quantified by researchers analyzing a a population-based cohort of biopsy-proven giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients in Southern Sweden. Specifically they studed the frequency of comorbidities among 768 patients with GCA and compared rated to a reference group of 3066 reference. The
The IL-6 Wars
In the years to come, the availability of numerous new IL-6 inhibitors it will either complicate treatment decisions, alter existing treatment paradigms, or result in an all-out war against TNF inhibitor dominance. Data, differences and time will tell.
Similar to the findings in rheumatoid arthritis, lower levels of education can have predictable negative consequences. And the reasons for more heart attacks with lower educational levels is not entirely clear.
Is being a “weekend warrior” and cramming the recommended amount of weekly physical activity into one or two sessions associated with lower risks for death? A new article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that compared with inactive adults, weekend warriors who performed the recommended amount of 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity in one or two sessions per week had lower risks for death from all causes
Jennsen et al previously reported their findings regarding weight reductions ability to improve cutaneous psoriasis at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) meeting in 2015, Now their results are published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (Citation source: http://buff.ly/2j8zHWo),
Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the first week of 2017 on RheumNow.com. Happy New Year!
Disease Activity Pre-pregnancy During Pregnancy Post-pregnancy Mild 10 6 4 Moderate 2 6 8 Severe 2 2 2
A French multicenter study of primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) patients fulfilling the American–European Consensus Group criteria or enlarged American–European Consensus Group criteria were retrospectively studied based on having biopsy-proven renal involvement.Renal involvement is a rare event with pSS. They reported the findings of 95 patients with a median age 49 years.
Several important lines of population and large cohort research have shown that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have a substantially higher risk for myocardial infarction and major cardiovascular events. These comorbidities are the product of uncontrolled, chronic systemic inflammation with its untoward effects on the vasculature and myocardium.
The current online edition of JAMA examines the evidence from 27 clinical trials and 1767 patients to assess the impact of intra-articular corticosteroids in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).Overall, the evidence shows that intra-articular corticosteroids is associated with moderate improvement in pain and a small improvement in physical function for up to 6 weeks after injection.
PPI Safety Issues
There are more than 11 million proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prescriptions written each year in the United States. While these agents have dramatically changed the management and outcome of upper gastrointestinal (GI) erosive and inflammatory disorders, their use has not been without safety concerns.
In April 2016, the FDA approved Inflectra, a biosimilar to infliximab (Remicade), which was the first monoclonal antibody biosimilar, and MedPage Today reported on the clinical and legal issues being faced. Here we review subsequent developments regarding biosimilars for rheumatic diseases.
Colitis onset or worsening inflammatory bowel disease has been reported with either of the new IL-17 inhibitors, ixekizumab (IXE) and secukinumab (SEC). Large database studies show these to be rare.
Eli Lilly and Company announced last friday that the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion, recommending the approval of baricitinib for the treatment of adults with moderate to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in those who have not responded to, or who are intolerant to one or more disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Research from Johns Hopkins reports that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with periodontitis exhibited patterns of autoantigen hypercitrullination similar to that seen in RA. Results published in Science Translational Medicine showed that Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans can produce hypercitrullination of patient neutrophils, indicating its possible role in triggering RA. (Citation source: http://buff.ly/2hZTBG8)
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