News
How Online Searches Reveal Patient Needs
Managing health conditions is rapidly evolving as patients increasingly turn to online resources for answers—over 65% search for health-related questions online. Our study analyzed Google search trends for rheumatic disease topics, offering a fascinating glimpse into how online search behavior can reveal patient needs and experiences. This approach, known as "infodemiology," tracks real-time Google Trends data to understand symptom- and treatment-related searches for rheumatic conditions.
Reproductive Issues in axSpA: Fertility and Pregnancy
Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) affects young patients with symptom onset occurring in early adulthood. Apart from pain and quality of life, reproductive issues also arise because patients who are diagnosed with the disease are also in their reproductive age. Two interesting abstracts about reproductive issues in axSpA will be presented during the poster sessions on Saturday, November 16, 2024.
Improving the Value of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Rheumatology Care
Unlike traditional imaging techniques, MSUS can be easily used at the point-of-care and offers high-resolution images of joints, tendons, and soft tissues, facilitating the early detection of inflammation and structural damage. On Saturday, November 16th at the ACR Convergence 2024, Dr. Veena Ranganath, Dr. Gurjit Kaeley, and Dr. Catherine Bakewell will present the “Proposed ACR Guidance for Use of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Rheumatoid and Psoriatic Arthritis.” This is the first update in a decade since the 2012 ACR guidance on the reasonable use of MSUS in rheumatology clinical practice.
ACR 2024 - Featured Industry Presentations
ACR24 Begins today. Many of the great presentations for this meeting come from industry sponsored clinical trials and reports. Often these become the pivotal studies for regulatory approval and the annual congresses are their first look.
Shifting Trends in Initial RA Treatment Approaches
A recent study by Sparks et al reveals evolving trends in DMARD usage for rheumatoid arthritis over two decades in the United States. This retrospective analysis evaluated 407,728 DMARD initiation episodes among 229,365 unique patients from 2001 to 2021.
ACR24 Preview Podcast (11.15.2024)
ACR 2024 starts tomorrow. Here are a few previews of abstracts to be presented, along with my recommendations of sessions you don’t want to miss.
A Polygenic Model for Still's Disease
Adult-onset Still's disease (AOSD) is systemic autoinflammatory disorder of unknown etiology. It is considered among the febrile autoinflammatory etiologies.
Diagnosis and Management of Kawasaki Disease
EurekAlert!
No Increase in Cardiovascular Events with JAK Inhibitors in IBD Patients
UMKC researchers have compared the use of JAK inhibitors versus tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, but failed to see an increase in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in JAKi vs TNFi use in IBD.
Weight Loss from Anti-Obesity Medications Prevents Gout
A population based study looked at the effect of the weight loss drug, Orlistat, in obese individuals. Compared to those untreated, orlistat over 1 year was associated with significant weight loss and significantly lower risks of incident gout and recurrent gout flares among overweight or obese people.
