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COVID 19 Updates from RheumNow

RA Biologics Lower COVID-19 Deaths, but Not Recovery Time

Do abatacept, cenicriviroc, or infliximab improve time to recovery for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia compared with standard care?

What is Colchicine Worth? (6.23.2023)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. This week a new colchicine FDA approval, rising rate of IgG4 related disease and what's the safest biologic?

Allergic Drug-Induced Arthritis (5.19.2023)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.  This week we delve into some odd associations, repeat drug warnings and the consequences of antirheumatic therapies.

One in Ten is Bad! (5.12.2023)

This week on the Podcast Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles, including the risks of dying, developing RA or autoimmune disease!

  1. Does King Charles have Sausage Digits (dactylitis) or OA? https://t.co/mRis21OWKH

2022 EULAR Recommendations on Screening and Prophylaxis for Opportunistic Infections

Opportunistic and chronic infections may be rare and are often difficult to diagnose, especially in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD), that may be immunocompromised.

Industry Payments to Rheumatologists Dropped During COVID

MedPage Today

Having their clinics shut down and patients staying away during the COVID-19 pandemic was bad enough for physicians' finances, but now a new study finds that, at least for rheumatologists, payments from industry dried up as well.

Faith and Miracle Larry

This week on the podcast, Dr. Jack Cush recalls what life was like early on during COVID, from March to June of 2020.  During this time, his close friend, Larry, contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized, intubated and put on mechanical ventilation for nearly 2 months.

2022 Rheumatology Year in Review (1-6-2023)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the best of 2022 in Rheumatology - highlights on new drug indications, breakthrough lupus therapies, new biosimilars and the multivitamin letdown.

Best of 2022: Freeze Tag

Editor's note: this blog originally published on January 22, 2022, and is being shared again as a Best of 2022. Enjoy!

COVID-19 Vaccine Responses in Rheumatic Disease Patients

Nature Reviews Rheumatology features a review of three notable papers that address the impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on people with inflammatory rheumatic disease. 

Vaccine Efficacy in Patients with Seronegative Spondyloarthritis

Vaccine efficacy remains an important and highly discussed topic at this year’s annual meeting given the ongoing COVID-19 global health crisis, current influenza season, and recently published 2022 ACR guidelines for vaccinations in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Does Evusheld shield people living with rheumatic diseases?

Fast forward nearly 3 years since the first case of COVID-19 was reported, and I am amazed of the speed of response on how to keep our patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (RMD) safe from this infection.

Social

COVIDs Extended Risk for Rheumatic Disease Annals of Internal Medicine reports a large, binational study finding SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with an increased risk for AIRDs that extends up to 12 months after infection. https://t.co/HjQ56hiiny https://t.co/vvC3iVqNyF
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet )
4 months 2 weeks ago
False positive COVID tests (+Rapid Ag; neg PCR) are rare, 1.7% of 11,297 tests; Persistent false positives seen in 13/191 and usually in women, with autoimmune dz (6/13; RA, SLE etc) & using the Quidel QuickVue rapid antigen test https://t.co/Pqkk7uBVcO https://t.co/m6ylQz00Ih
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet )
5 months ago
Best Treatments for COVID-Related MIS-C https://t.co/6Ntdug1eam https://t.co/x6de0DQTZ9
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet )
6 months ago
Hydroxychloroquine for COVID may have caused 16,990 deaths. Systematic review of 44 cohort studies showed HCQ use in COVID was associated with 11% increase in mortality in 6 countries (US 12,739, Spain 1,895, Italy 1,822, Belgium 240, France 199,Turkey 95 https://t.co/vmhvSx4XLO https://t.co/KRxqiiSFC3
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow ( View Tweet )
6 months 2 weeks ago
🔥 HOT OFF THE PRESS for #ACR23 Effectiveness of a fourth dose of #COVID19 mRNA #vaccine in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases using DMARDs: an emulated target trial https://t.co/bvc75BP4aG @zach_wallace_md @jeffsparks https://t.co/CAlgjvUr9X
The Lancet Rheumatology @TheLancetRheum ( View Tweet )
8 months 1 week ago
COVAD2 data: ⬆️proportion of SLE pts from lmHDI countries were on CS(73% vs 59% p=0.0002), antimalarials(81% vs 68% p=0.0002) & IS(66% vs 53%p=0.0009) vs pts from hvhHDI countries Comorbids more in younger pts from lmHDI (prob from CS use) #ACR23 ABST2269 @RheumNow @rheumarhyme https://t.co/4CLGFYG1d0
sheila ( View Tweet )
8 months 1 week ago
Kevin. Winthrop knocks it down on WHO is immunocompromised among rheumatic disease pts at Innovation Theater ⁦@CCalabreseDO⁩ #ACR23 ⁦@alhkim⁩ ⁦@AdamJBrownMD⁩ ⁦@ELittlejohnDO⁩ https://t.co/4hFtQgvaIf
Leonard Calabrese @LCalabreseDO ( View Tweet )
8 months 1 week ago
Our collaborative study on nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) virologic rebound is out in @AnnalsofIM @DrJLi @zach_wallace_md -Paxlovid: 21% with rebound vs. 2% in untreated (OR 10) https://t.co/RRDxerGdBy

Jeffrey Sparks MD MMSc @jeffsparks ( View Tweet )

8 months 1 week ago
Is rituximab still a problem with COVID - esp if our patients have been vaccinated pre-ritux? Antibody titres better when not getting regular ritux around boosters Maybe boosters 9mo (or so) gap after ritux helps immunogenicity @TroldborgAnne et al #ACR23 ABST2511 @RheumNow https://t.co/dE0uC6B9hx
David Liew @drdavidliew ( View Tweet )
8 months 1 week ago
A#2316 #ACR23 @RheumNow 91 SLE pts w COVID v 182 SLE wo COVID ifn 11 SLE/COVID: serious disease 1 death, 7 severe compl W/in 90d, 15% mild/mod SLE flare 2% severe SLE flare Flare rate 17.6% higher than no COVID ifn 5% p=0.001 High HV ifn (2% v 1%) dsDNA/C3 changes not signif diff https://t.co/dxGJNNWuFy
Eric Dein ( View Tweet )
8 months 1 week ago