ACP Supports Transparency of Health Care Costs
The American College of Physicians (ACP) is encouraged by the Trump administration’s executive order to improve transparency of health care costs.
News
DMARD Success in Myositis-Related Interstitial Lung Disease
It is estimated that up to 50% of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathy will be complicated by interstitial lung disease, and having ILD may impart a poor prognosis. A recent review of the Johns Hopkins myositis-related ILD cohort has shown that azathioprine and mycophenolate mofetil use is associated improved lung function and less prednisone use.
Study Looks at Opioid Use After Knee Surgery
A small study looked at whether reducing the number of opioid tablets prescribed after knee surgery would reduce postoperative use and if preoperative opioid-use education would reduce it even more
Sjögren's Syndrome Differs in Minorities
Minority groups in the U.S. have differing rates of Sjögren's syndrome and exhibit distinct clinical patterns of the disease, a large cross-sectional study revealed. The percentage of American Indians in a SS cohort of 610 patients was much higher than expected, at 25.3%, whereas the percentage of African Americans was lower, at 3.1%. In addition, American Indians had higher levels of disease activity and more extraglandular manifestations, whereas African Americans had a symptom pattern associated with subsequent lymphoma development, researchers reported in Arthritis Care & Research.
Steroids in GCA and PMR Increase Infectious Risk
A large study of UK family practice patients shows that polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) or giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients treated with glucocorticoids are at an increased risk of bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal infection, even at daily doses of less than 5 mg prednisolone.
Lupus Patients at Risk for Heart Failure
Patients with SLE are at increased risk for HF, not just of MI and stroke, with risk similar to that of patients with diabetes, researchers found in an analysis of Medicaid data.
RheumNow Podcast – Late Breaking Abstract Wrap-Up (6.21.19)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the week’s news and wrap up from EULAR19.
EULAR 2019 - Podcast #1
This EULAR 2019 Podcast is a compilation of audio clips from EULAR 2019 in Madrid.
No Difference Among Biologics in Arthroplasty Infectious Risk
A large administrative claims analysis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients undergoing arthroplasty has shown no difference among biologics with regard to the risk of infections, but corticosteroid use was associated with a dose dependent risk of infection.
Allopurinol Fails to Curtail Hypertension
A novel trial presented at EULAR 2019 last week assessed whether the use of urate-lowering therapy (ULT) would control hypertension in those at risk; however, results of this trial were largely negative.
Hypertension is one of the many comorbidities that plagues gout patients.
ACP Guidelines on Developing Evidence Based Clinical Guidelines
Recommendations for the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of various diseases often differ by organization, making it difficult to know which ones to follow.
Borrelia burgdorferi Peptidoglycan Shedding Drives Lyme Arthritis
Research published in PNAS has shown that long after active Lyme infection in the joint, a peptidoglycan (PG) of the the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi can be found in the joints of those with late-stage Lyme disease.
