Genes and Obesity Tied to Higher Gout Risk in Women
Excess adiposity and genetic predisposition both contributed to risk of gout among U.S. women, with the risks being highest when both factors are present, a large prospective study found.
News
Monitoring Infliximab Drug Levels Improves Efficacy
Should we start considering therapeutic drug monitoring when prescribing TNFi for treatment of our rheumatologic conditions?
Pain is the Focus of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology was jointly awarded to Drs.
Telehealth Diet and Exercise Benefits Knee Osteoarthritis
Annals of Internal Medicine has reported the results of a randomized clinical trial showing that telehealth-delivered exercise and diet programs improved pain and function in knee osteoarthritis patients who were overweight. While both were beneficial, exercise had a greater effect than die
Risks associated with mortality in VEXAS
Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic syndrome (VEXAS) took the centre stage when it was first introduced at ACR20 last year. It got everyone’s thinking that they might have encountered one or two patients in their rheumatology lifetime who might have this condition.
FDA Puts Boxed Warnings on JAK Inhibitors
Based on the safety review of tofacitinib in Pfizer's Oral Surveillance (1133) study, the FDA has added serious boxed warnings to all three marketed JAK inhibitors (for inflammatory diseases) and formalized the recommendation that patients should be started on a TNF inhibitor (TNFi) before trying a JAK inhibitor. These recommendations apply to tofacitinib, baricitinib and upadacitinib.
TNF inhibitors and radiographic progression in axSpA
A remaining challenge for clinicians is the ability to delay, if not completely stop, structural progression in patients with axSpA, whether they are diagnosed with radiographic (r-axSpa) or non-radiographic (nr-axSpA) disease.
Telemedicine Upside Interview with Dr. Alvin Wells
In spite of the transformative growth of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, rheumatologists use of telemedicine is waning, much like the use of masks. Dr. Jack Cush interviews telemedicine guru, Dr. Alvin Wells, on the current state of telemedicine and what the future holds for telehealth in rheumatology.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Dementia and Cognitive Dysfunction
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been linked to a higher risk of dementia and cognitive dysfunction, but interestingly this association has diminished in the last few decades with aggressive DMARD and targeted therapies..
Methotrexate and hepatic fibrosis: we must be doing something right
Methotrexate may be a rheumatologist’s best friend, but a key part of counselling any patient about its use has always been the risk of hepatotoxicity.
New Insights into Uveitis in Spondyloarthritis
Uveitis is the most frequent extra-musculoskeletal manifestation (EAM) in Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA). The prevalence of uveitis in axSpA is between 25-30%. Up to 50% of patients with an acute episode of uveitis develop recurrent anterior uveitis or iritis.
