Daily Aspirin Taken by More Than Half of Older U.S. Adults
Despite guidelines stating that low dose aspirin is indicated for secondary prevention of MI and stroke, a recent survey shows that over half of US adults take daily low dose aspirin.
News
Review of Bisphosphonates and Atypical femoral fractures
The Journal For Nurse Practitioners provides a succinct overview of atypical femoral fractures and bisphosphonates. These popular agents account for 14 million prescriptions annually in the United States.
Lyme disease: recent advances and perspectives
Lyme disease remains endemic in many parts of North America and continues as a public health concern. This article reviews endemic and nonedemic areas, the lack of an available Lyme vaccine, immune pathways and what is known about the vector and bug.
HLA-DRB1 Alleles Augment RA Severity and TNF Inhibitor Responses
The HLA-DRB1 haplotype is a known risk factor for RA.
Preventing Hep B Reactivation Due to Immunosuppressive Drug Treatments
Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection can have devastating consequences, especially amongst those patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.
Preventing Hepatitis B Reactivation Due to Immunosuppressive Drug Treatments
Reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection can have devastating consequences, especially amongst those patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy.
A different point of view on RA
Professor Fergus Shanahan, a consultant gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at University College Cork, has an issue with the label “auto-immune” disease being applied to conditions such as RA, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, asthma and type 1 diabetes.
FDA Enforces New Drug Safety Labeling for Pregnant Women
The traditional FDA pregnancy risk categories (A, B, C, D, X) have been scrapped in favor of a new labeling mandate called the pregnancy and lactation labeling rule (PLLR). This change has been under consideration at the FDA for nearly 2 years and was brought about by the belief that the old
RA Associated With Higher 90-Day Hospital Readmission Rates Compared to OA After Hip or Knee Arthroplasty
Using administrative claims data, Doctor Jas Singh and colleagues examined readmission rates after hip or knee replacement surgery. RA patients had a higher rate of readmission (8.5% vs 6.7%) compared to OA.
CKD is a gout risk factor
Impaired renal function is a known primary contributor to hyperuricemia and risk of gout.
New CPT Chronic Disease Management Code 99490
The new Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will allow for reimbursement for chronic care management services (CCM).
