Abstract 1731 is a small RCT of baricitinib in inflammatory myositis comparing early start baricitinib to later start.

Associations between air pollution and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis have previously been demonstrated. Abstract 0978 sought to determine the association between fire smoke and other pollutant exposures with the risk of RA and RA-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD).

For decades, glucocorticoids (GCs) have formed the backbone of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) management. Whilst previously there was a sense that a “low” GC dose with limited duration was used, we now appreciate just how heterogenous the disease course of PMR can be, with many patients experiencing frequent relapses and garnering a subsequent huge GC burden over a number of years.

Nine out of ten adults in the USA struggle to understand basic health-related information. Across the pond, in the UK, 7.1 million adults read at, or below, the level of a nine-year-old, with 60% unable to understand health information. An increasing body of research in rheumatic diseases has sought to understand the impact of health literacy, long neglected as a social determinant of health, on clinical and non-clinical outcomes. Several

The SELECT-GCA study, looking at upadacitinib in GCA, anchored the ACR 2024 opening plenary for a reason - it is highly notable and badly needed.

Lupus nephritis is one of the most silent and severe manifestations of SLE. When not captured early, patients are at high risk of progressing to end-stage renal disease, which would require dialysis or transplantation. Renal biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis and disease classification. However, the procedure is invasive and very painful. Non-invasive measures are critical for early detection and continuous monitoring.

When the ACR Convergence 2024 abstract site went live, the first query I typed into the search bar was, “CAR-T.” I consider myself a CAR-T skeptic and would be surprised if the magical results from this NEJM case series replicate at scale, but it seems likely that CAR-T will revolutionize the care for (some) patients with rheumatic diseases. What new data will be presented at ACR?

Are emulation ‘trials’ helpful, despite the biases that occur with observational data, or do they truly mimic the results of randomized controlled trials (RCTs)?

ACR Convergence 2024 opened today with a full slate of presentations, posters and specialty meetings.  The meeting began with a flip: the plenary sessions started at 9AM and the poster session began at 1030 AM. Below are some of the highlights from day one in Washington, DC.

The journey to axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) diagnosis is often prolonged and challenging. Understanding the factors contributing to the delays is important to improve the clinical, psychological, social and economic outcomes. Data from the SPACE cohort (abstract 0566), the ASAS-PerSpA study (abstract 0550) and the US Claims data (abstract 0558), allows us to highlight the barriers to early diagnosis of axSpA and identify opportunities for

The RheumNow faculty have parked at the plenaries, trafficked the posters and have been finding the best the meeting offers on the first day at ACR 2024 in Washington, DC.  Here are some of the best abstracts from Saturday Nov. 16th. You can also spot these on Twitter by looking for the (#ACRbest) hashtag. 

Studies show that patients with difficult-to-manage axSpA have a higher disease activity; however, the lack of a consensus definition led researchers and clinicians to utilize their own proposed definition, resulting in variability of the characteristics of non-responders.

Clinicians treating giant cell arteritis (GCA) have long had to contend with a disappointingly limited selection of drugs from which to select. A new group of drugs is finally showing promise in the treatment of GCA.

Pregnancy is perhaps the oldest treatment in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and has been associated with a natural improvement in disease control in 50-75% of patients. Others, however, are not as successful with unchanged disease activity or worsening of their autoimmune disease.

For many years glucocorticoids were the mainstay of our treatment of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). The paradigm shifted with cyclophosphamide and then again with rituximab, and we used less steroids, but we still used lots. Avacopan teased the demise of steroids, but in the trial they, and now we, still use them. Glucocorticoids are our old trusty friend, our comfort blanket. But no more! Good riddance to the medication with the