Higher Rates of Venous Thromboembolism in Gout

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A Canadian administrative claims analysis has shown that gout-associated inflammation increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE) before and after the diagnosis of gout.

RheumNow Podcast – Believe in Vitamin D or Rituximab? (9.20.19)

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

NSAID Use Linked With Hypertension in Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Continuous use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was associated with the development of incident hypertension, a prospective cohort study found.

FEAR: A Perception of Fact In Spite of the Fiction

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Pregnancy for patients with lupus has long been considered high risk and associated with both medical and obstetric complications, but outcomes have improved over the last 2 decades and continue to improve.

Sensitivity of Temporal Artery Biopsy

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Metanalysis shows that temporal artery biopsy (TAB) for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) has a sensitivity of 77%, similar to results seen with temporal artery imaging. These data suggest clinicians may be willing to accept a GCA diagnosis without proof by TAB.

FDA Grants Breakthrough Status for Potential Lupus Nephritis Drug

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Obinutuzumab (Gazyva) has been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (BTD) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in adults with lupus nephritis (LN). The drug made by Genentech, is going forward based on the Phase II NOBILITY study in adult patients with proliferative lupus nephritis (LN). Currently, there are no FDA-approved medicines for lupus nephritis.

Low Dose IL-2 Effective in Lupus

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A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of low-dose IL-2 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has shown that low-dose IL-2 induced was clinically effective while expandng regulatory T cells and NK cells, which may benefit immune homeostasis in SLE patients.

Anakinra Shows Benefits in Cytokine Storm

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The interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist anakinra (Kineret) showed promise in critically ill children who develop the often-lethal condition known as secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH)/macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), a retrospective single-center study found.

ACR Survey Shows Half of Patients Cannot Afford Treatments

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Americans living with rheumatic disease face significant healthcare challenges, according to a national patient survey released this week by the American College of Rheumatology. More than 1,500 U.S. adults living with rheumatic disease responded to the survey, which asked a range of questions related to healthcare access, affordability and lifestyle. Key findings include that even though 90 percent of respondents reported having health insurance coverage, nearly 60 percent said they had difficulty affording their medications or treatments in the past year.

Medical Use of Cannabis in 2019

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JAMA has published an overview of cannabis and its medical uses. Although nearly 10% of cannabis users in the United States report using it for medicinal purposes, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of medical cannabis for most conditions for which its use is advocated or advised. Nevertheless, there is increase in favoring the public availability of cannabis, largely for the management of more than 50 medical conditions.

Prior Authorizations Delay Care in Rheumatology

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Physicians who believe their patients' health is negatively affected by insurers' demands for prior authorization, and the delays that often result, will find that opinion vindicated by a new study of rheumatology care: when permission had to be sought from insurers to provide intravenous drugs,

RheumNow Podcast – The End of Arthritis (9.13.19)

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