Gender Trends in Rheumatology
A study of rheumatologists in Ontario, Canada has shown an increasing percentage of women in rheumatology; unfortunately they have lower salaries but see fewer patients than do their older, male colleagues.
News
Neuropsychiatric Events Common in Lupus
Neuropsychiatric (NP-SLE) or CNS lupus events range from mild to severe; several recent studies have noted that NPS lupus is common and should be screened for. A metanalysis of the literature finds 22 studies wherein the mean frequency of NPSLE ranged from 10.6% to 96.4%. When researchers with the Swiss SLE cohort study looked at their population, NPSLE was found in 28.1%. This included cerebrovascular insults, seizures and psychosis.
New ACR Rheumatoid Arthritis Guideline: Emphasis on Methotrexate
MedPage Today
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has issued new guidelines on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, addressing questions about initial treatment with methotrexate and minimizing reliance on glucocorticoids.
The Potential of Rituximab Efficacy in Systemic Sclerosis
Rituximab (RTX) has been in the news a lot lately; more surprisingly for its potential benefits in progressive systemic sclerosis (SSc). Ebata and colleagues have published the results of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial comparing intravenous RTX to placebo in 56 SSc patients. Patients had to have a modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS) of 10 or more. The primary endpoint was the change in mRSS at 24 weeks.
ACR Stands Against Insurer Mandated Infusion Locations
ACR
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has released an updated position statement on patient safety and site of service for biologics outlining several reasons why the ACR strongly believes infusions should be administered in a monitored health care setting with onsite supervision by a provid
RheumNow Podcast – Modern Treatment of RA Pregnancy (6.25.2021)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week’s news and journal reports featured on RheumNow.com.
Birthday Gatherings Increase COVID-19 Risk
How risky are family gatherings, birthday parties and informal social gatherings? A cross-sectional analysis suggests that birthdays may be associated with increased rates of COVID-19 infection within households where there is a high COVID-19 prevalence in the population.
Knee Replacement in Obese OA is Cost Effective
Debates over ideal candidates for total knee replacement (TKR) in osteoarthritis patients often excludes those who are obese, but a recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that TKR is both effective and cost-effective in obese patients (BMI >40 kg/m2) with
Pain Persists in RA, Even Without Inflammation
MedPage Today
One-third of patients with rheumatoid arthritis had unacceptably high levels of pain 5 years after diagnosis, often despite low levels of inflammation, Swedish researchers found.
Better Outcomes with Modern T2T in Pregnancy
With the expansion of knowledge regarding the safety of newer agents in pregnancy comes the PreCARA study showing that when pregnancy is planned and patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are treated with a modified treat-to-target (T2T) approach, superior outcomes can be anticipated.
Progression from Psoriasis to Psoriatic Arthritis
The question of whether psoriasis is a state or pre-clinical psoriatic arthritis has been addressed by several studies; with one suggesting that biologic use in psoriasis may aver the future development of psoratic arthritis (PsA).
FINCH 1 Trial Filgotinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Annals of Rheumatic Disease has published the results of a head-to-head trial showing that the Janus kinase-1 (JAK1) preferential inhibitor filgotinib was superior to a tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitor (adalimumab) in active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on methotrexate (MTX).
