Anti-Rheumatic Rx

Estrogen-only menopausal hormone therapy was associated with a slightly higher incidence of autoimmune disease compared with estrogen-progestogen therapy, a retrospective cohort study suggested.

Toyoda and colleagues from the British Society for Rheumatology have published new PMR treatment guidelines to supercede the previously published 2009 BSR/BHPR PMR guidelines. These guidelines emphasize earlier specialist input, methotrexate as an option, and bone protection for all PMR patients

A French study has shown that rituximab is more effective than azathioprine at maintaining remission in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) on chronic prednisone.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal articles and regulatory announcements from this past week on RheumNow, including: two crystals in one joint, twice the cryptococcus risk in JAKs; Myositis and Scleroderma; and Sjögren’s plus early damage = >> 2 fold risk lymphoma. Double trouble week

Professor van Vollenhoven has compiled a state-of-the-art review on lupus treatment advances – current and future. SLE management is entering an unprecedented phase.

This edition: REPLENISH (secukinumab in polymyalgia rheumatica). The EBR Journal Club Companion applies my adapted version of the JAMA approach to critical appraisal to an important RCT in rheumatology. Each review covers four domains: Does this apply to my patients? What is the risk of bias?

Most patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whose initial treatment used a stringent treat-to-target strategy in a clinical trial were in remission 10 years later, with only modest radiographic progression over that time, researchers said.

An emerging technique called spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) proved its mettle for evaluating skin fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), also called scleroderma, in an early clinical study.

A new Frontiers in Immunology review from Ong, Wincup and colleagues, shows that lupus arthropathy is not a single uniform entity and it is biologically under-studied and clinically mismeasured, Moreover, the biology of lupus arthritis may shed light on choosing the best therapy for MSK

As the leaves start changing color and spooky decorations populate neighborhood doorsteps, another autumnal tradition begins: vaccination counseling. Fall offers a golden opportunity to protect our patients before respiratory viruses fill our waiting rooms. In patients with rheumatologic

Dr. Jack Cush reviews this week's news from RheumNow.com, including: placebo trumps controversial therapies, the dynamics of disease activity, fuse the big toe, and patients don’t appreciate being told “it's all in your head”!