RheumNow Podcast – Can RA Be Prevented (12.7.18) Save

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and new journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com:

1. J. Hopkins study of 27 pts with inflammatory arthritis due to immune checkpoint inhibitors (mostly European ancestry) shows higher rate (61.5%) of at least 1 Shared Epitope allele (similar to RA pts) but were more likely to be seronegative for RF or CCP https://t.co/uR7ESZ2s07
2. Retrospective study of 65,093 obese adults w/ bariatric surgery shows that, although Rouxen-Y gastric bypass had more wt. loss than gastric sleeve > gastric banding; RYGB had more 30-day major adverse events - Gastric Sleeve wins? https://t.co/R0Fday00Bh
3. Interdisciplinary guidelines for treating Uveitis in JIA - 1) Topical steroids; 2) if not improved, MTX; 3) Then TNF inhibitor; 4) systemic steroids; or 5) other biologics (TCZ, ABA, RTX). https://t.co/6D1aq3xQqA 
4. Cohort study 56866 RA/PsA/AS patients compared 287 w/ multiple myeloma & 2760 matched controls - no difference in MM risk related to biologic, DMARD or NSAIDs. But compared to DMARD only pts, Biologic + DMARD users had a 48% lower risk of MM (OR 0.52) https://t.co/DsmvNXC9c9   
5. Depression worsens back pain; increases healthcare costs. Medicare claims study 73,000 found 6,739 with back pain & 20% of these (1310) had depression. Annual healthcare costs substantially higher in LBP pts w/ depression ($13,153 vs $7,477, P < 0.001). https://t.co/rHqfWPTV7r   
6. The Benefits of a Lupus Clinic    
7. PRAIRI Study - Can RA Be Prevented?  
8. New ACR/NPF Guidelines for Management of Psoriatic Arthritis
9. RheumNow Live: March 2019 in Fort Worth – what determines whether you go to a medical meeting?
   1. Site/Venue
   2. Faculty
   3. Topics
   4. Time away
   5. Cost