Woeful Rheumatology Referrals

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Early diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis (IA) is rooted in patient (self or MD) referrals. A recent analysis shows only a minority of rheumatology referrals had inflammatory arthritis, with only 21% were seen within the first 6 weeks of symptoms. 

Oral Surveillance Changes in Advanced Therapy Use in RA

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The safety of tofacitinib and TNF inhibitors was studied in high risk rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in the ORAL Surveillance study, which culminated in an FDA warning in January 2021 on the cardiovascular, cancer and VTE risks associated with JAK inhibitor use.

Aortic Stenosis Risk in RA

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A large cohort study has shown that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at an increased risk of developing aortic stenosis (AS), undergoing aortic valve intervention, or AS-related death.

ICYMI: ACR Guidelines for Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Rheumatic Conditions

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The American College of Rheumatology released summaries of two new guidelines for the Screening and Monitoring of Interstitial Lung Disease in People with Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease and for the Treatment of Interstitial Lung Disease in People with Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases.

Hard Decisions in RA (9.1.2023)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow, and introduces our September campaign - "Hard Decisions in RA".

ACR Position Paper: Cost Impact of Rheumatologic Care

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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has published evidence that rheumatologic care can save more than $2700 per patient per year.

FDA Approves Canakinumab for Gout Flares

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved canakinumab (Ilaris) for the treatment of gout flares in adults who cannot be treated with NSAIDs, colchicine, or repeated courses of corticosteroids. The drug is also indicated for people who could not tolerate or had an inadequate response to NSAIDs or colchicine.

SGLT2 Inhibitors as Gout Treatment

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Patients with gout and type 2 diabetes treated with SGLT2 inhibitors not only had reduced numbers of gout flares, but also lived longer compared with other such patients receiving other medications, researchers said.

2023 ACR/EULAR Antiphospholipid Syndrome Classification Criteria

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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and EULAR have combined efforts to establish an international multidisciplinary Steering Committee to develop classification criteria for the new antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) to be applied in observational studies and clinical trials.

Dr. Naomi Rothfield (1929 – 2023)

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Medical schools are rife with mentors. In my rheumatology fellowship I had tow great mentors, Peter Lipsky and Morris Ziff.  They introduced me, and other young rheumatologists, to other rheumatology giants and mentors, including Dr. Naomi Rothfield - who they often spoke of as a leader worth following. She was engaging and inclusive. And she stood out as one of the few strong rheumatology department chairs in the 1980s. Naomi F. Rothfield, MD, famed leader from the University of Connecticut, passed away on Sunday, July 2, 2023, at the age of 94.

Gut Microbiome Differences Antedate JIA Development

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Researchers have shown that gut microbiome differences may be associated with later development of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and that such differences are present years before the disease is diagnosed.

Hip Replacement Surgery After Age 90

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Potentially modifiable comorbid conditions and complications have a major impact on the risks of total hip arthroplasty (THA) for people in their nineties, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.