Chikungunya Club Meeting (7.24.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.
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Swimming Reduces Diability from Low Back Pain
EurekAlert!
Swimming is commonly recommended for patients with chronic low back pain. Yet, there is little trial data investigating swimming. An Australian study has shown for the first time that a program of swimming can be clinically effective in reducing disability from chronic low back pain
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EUSTAR scleroderma substudy propensity matched pts Rx w/ JAKi (n 38) vs 180 pts ea Rx w/ MMF, MTX, RTX. 1/3 had dcSSc. 23 AEs in 997 Pt-yrs. JAKi outcomes similar to comparators. JAKi Tx D/C in 39%, FVC stable, skin fibrosis improved (mRSS −1.8) & SJC decreased. No new
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The Lancet Rheumatology has a good editorial about the avacopan bad news reports with EMA, FDA and Japan issuing negative opinions that threaten the drugs future. Yet, since approval real world data on avacopan has been favorable w/ less steroid toxicity & most hepatotoxicity https://t.co/k6ebVeWv2K
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Allopurinol - severe allergic reactions are estimated at 0.4%-2%, rising to 8–18% in patients with chronic kidney disease. Being HLA-B*58:01 (+) dramatically increases risk (OR 117).
For more gout content, follow our Gout: More than Flares campaign at https://t.co/lQoiFjubZJ, https://t.co/fTuc4lYvJz
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Psoriatic Arthritis: EULAR 2026 Recap
https://t.co/tBMu4CEn0o https://t.co/iztShOHxOf
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Gout master class @RheumNow
Upgrading & Maximizing the Classics (Colchicine, Allopurinol, etc.) https://t.co/yvSkULQlyR via @YouTube
Nouf Al hemmadi @NoufAhmedAlham2( View Tweet )
2 Still's dz cohorts (96 Shanghai, 28 Erlangen0 compared response to biolgics vs DMARDs (MTX, CNI,JAKi). in 124 AOSD pts, biologic had more sustained event-free remission and event-free state (P 0.0065, P 0.0096) & more steroid D/C vs MTX/CNI (p < 0.05). https://t.co/lJaI9nhPYr
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From 2015-2024, 148 inflam arthritis pts (43 SpA, 35 PsA, 50 RA) w/ a prior cancer were followed 58.1 mos. 24 (19%) had CA recurrence/progression. Post-CA exposure to b/ts-DMARDs did not incr. recurrence risk after adjusting for age & comorbidity burden. https://t.co/MHKIqwyjNN https://t.co/uhOdq1cCPW
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RHEUM SURVEY Q: Which gout drug has the greatest toxicity risk? Answer here>> https://t.co/EQrEjD9237
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SGLT2i use in gout reduces use of gout meds. Study of 26,739 gout pts w/ NIDDM (mean 66 yrs), 67% w/ polypharmacy. SGLT2i (vs DPP-4i) user had less Allopurinol starts (HR 0.62;0.52–0.73), also lower use of steroids (,78), NSAID (.85), colchicine (.87) & diuretics (.87) https://t.co/1dW27YzSvg
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Expert Perspective on Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition Disease
A recent perspective by Tedeschi tackles many unresolved issues around CPPD diagnosis, classification, and management, including the lack of clinical trials or FDA approved treatments.
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Pragmatism in Gout: How therapeutic choices can have multiple benefits
William James famously wrote in Pragmatism, “There can be no difference anywhere that doesn’t make a difference elsewhere.” Gout treatment offers a striking medical example of that idea. Drugs prescribed to calm flares or lower uric acid are designed with one primary goal in
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Tomorrow!
Registration is still open!
Time-tested gout therapies remain the cornerstone of care, optimizing their use requires thoughtful, patient-specific decision making.
Join our expert faculty for Upgrading & Maximizing the Classics where they'll explore practical https://t.co/ZN0vcVjUex
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Fibromyalgia: Diagnosis and Management
Fibromyalgia (FM) affects 4–6% of the U.S. population, with nearly a 2 fold female predominance. Nociplastic pain underlies the pathophysiology of FM. CNS hypersensitization to both painful and non-painful stimuli occurs with little or no tissue pathology. Framing FM as a disorder of CNS
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QD Clinic: Allopurinol for All Gout? Not Quite
Dr. Brian Jaros, Chicago, discusses the use of allopurinol.
https://t.co/XENBDqZ2Z6 https://t.co/KFTZwuYVLI
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Psoriatic Arthritis: EULAR 2026 Recap
Years of IL-17 vs. IL-23 debate in PsA finally got tested head-to-head: bimekizumab outperformed risankizumab on joint outcomes in the BE BOLD trial, while a GLP-1 combination study suggests weight and metabolic status are active drivers of PsA — not just comorbidities. This recap also digs into
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Seronegative RA Disease Activity (7.17.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, journal articles and Gout features from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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Four Things About Allopurinol Hypersensitivity Syndrome
Dr. Robert Terkeltaub discusses allopurinol hypersensitivity syndrome in gout patients.
https://t.co/5seiyfVLW1 https://t.co/0A1Rtk9hzS
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
ARTIC trial enrolled 234 DMARD naive RA (<2yrs) pts; 15.4% (36) were seronegative (SNRA). @enrollment SNRA worse than SPRA(+) w/ higher SJC (17 vs 8, p<0.001), DAS28 (3.9 vs 3.4, p=0.03), US scores (55 vs 25, p<0.001), MD global (49 vs 39, p=0.006). No diff in Sharp score, https://t.co/xDxQKY8ZG2
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Intl consortium (10 EU countries) of 3952 RA pts, 184 MACE events seen 1985-2012. MACE risk signif assoc w/ DAS28 (HR 1.18;1.03-1.35), but NOT RF (HR 1.26; 0.82 to 1.94) or ACPA (HR 1.25; 0.85 to 1.83). RA activity assoc w/ MACE seen in seronegative and double positive https://t.co/RGO5IAM5oL
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Glucocorticoid use in 1st yr of 574 newly DX RA cases-- 75% recv GC in 1st yr; 313 (55%) Rx at 1st visit. (m GC dose =9.3 mg/day. 1/2 (47%) recv IA GC injx. 20% had 1st yr infx. Risk of infx was NS (RR 1.13; 0.77 to 1.67) for 0-10 mg/d vs no GC https://t.co/s9YaGZsUjr https://t.co/ESHvVK1Egx
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
ACP Position Paper on Dietary Supplements
More than half of U.S. adults use dietary supplements, yet only a quarter use supplements recommended by a healthcare professional, and current law lets supplements reach the market with no premarket safety evaluation, unlike drugs or food additives. The paper notes that under DSHEA, dietary
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In 2010 Colchicine fell under patent protection and price increased 16 fold, & out-of-pocket price increased 4.4-fold, colchicine use decreased 27%, while allopurinol, steroid & gout visits (ER, Rheum) increased. https://t.co/xyOxsnoM5z https://t.co/yoXehV0mPa
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Therapeutic Updates
Lupus Nephritis
Sponsored by RheumNow
View our six video perspectives on lupus nephritis, including Management of CKD in Lupus Nephritis.
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EXXELERATE: New Thoughts on High RF Titer
Sponsored by: UCB
Two leading rheumatologists share insights into why RF levels are important to consider when identifying treatment options for patients with RA.
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Recent Blogs
At first, it seemed similar to many other such sessions – a circle of folding chairs, a group of colleagues whose visages exuded understanding and acceptance – but this was special. I started the meeting…. “Hi, my name is Artie.”
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Dr. Jack Cush reviews Gout in this continuing series for Advanced Practice Rheum. Review the companion slide deck here.
Podcasts
RA Topic Podcast compilation
PsA Topic Podcast compilation
EULAR 2026 Daily Podcast Day 4a
