Infection

RheumNow Podcast – Mistakes with Steroids

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Dr Jack Cush gives his spin on this week's RheumNews and Rheum Research from RheumNow.com.

Rheumatology Care Derailed by COVID-19

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A survey study from the  ArthritisPower PPRN or CreakyJoints database shows that during the COVID-19 pandemic patient care was substantially affected in unforeseen ways.

Data from the ArthritisPower Patient-Powered Research Network and CreakyJoints patient community were gathered by

Reactogenicity Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines

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JAMA has published the real-world reporting of mRNA vaccine side effects (reactogenicity) gathered from CDC V-safe Surveillance system and shows that local and systemic reactions were often mild and transient and most commonly seen during the first day following their second dose.

HLA B27 Iritis - RNL 2021 Highlights

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The Spondyloarthritis Advances pod presented during the RheumNow Live 2021 conference featured three speakers, including an excellent lecture by Dr. Robert Wang, ophthalmology, on HLA B27 iritis and practical tips for rheumatologists. 

I interviewed Dr. Wang and below are his five

Serious Infections Still Common in Vasculitis

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Serious infections occurred more frequently among patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis who were given induction therapy with cyclophosphamide compared with rituximab (Rituxan), Greek researchers found.

Liver Management in Rheumatoid Arthritis - RNL2021 Highlight

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While rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not known to affect the liver directly, underlying liver disease and treatment-related effects on the liver can often become an obstacle in the management of many RA patients. In his Sunday presentation at RNL2021, Dr. Stanley Cohen detailed many issues

Rheumatic Patients Are at Risk for COVID Death

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Patients with rheumatic diseases who developed COVID-19 were at increased likelihood of death, with risk factors similar to those seen in the general population but also because of factors specific to their underlying disease and its treatment, analysis of data from an international registry

RheumNow Podcast – Listener Questions (3.12.2021)

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Dr Jack Cush reviews the news, Journal reports, CDC guidelines and viewer questions from the last week on RheumNow.com

Low Anaphylaxis Risk with COVID mRNA Vaccines

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JAMA reports a safety survey of hospital employees showing that the risk of anaphylaxis from mRNA vaccines is 2.47 per 10,000 individuals. 

Prior studies suggested the risk of anaphylaxis to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may be as low as 2.5 - 11.1 cases per million doses and that such

COVID-19-Related Deaths in Rheumatic Disease Patients

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There is a growing body of evidence regarding COVID-19 outcomes (including death) in rheumatic disease patients; analysis of a German registry shows that poor control, rituximab, sulfasalazine and other immunosuppressives could be risk factors for COVID-related death.

The early data

Comparison of Three Coronavirus Vaccines

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On Feb. 27, the Food and Drug Administration announced it has issued an emergency use authorization for Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose Covid vaccine, making it the third COVID-19 vaccine to be commercially available.  We've compiled a comparison table and some key information relevant to your

CDC: Interim Guidance for COVID Vaccinated People

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Among 330 million Americans, roughly 32.1 million have been fully vaccinated and 61.1 million have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (as of March 8th).

The CDC has issued new guidelines for those who have taken the COVID Vaccine, acknowledging the potential benefits of

RheumNow Podcast – Pounds of Prevention (3.5.2021)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses nearly a dozen news reports and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Baricitinib Therapy in Covid-19 Pneumonia

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The NEJM has published the results of the ACCT-2 Study,  a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating baricitinib, an inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and JAK2, plus remdesivir in hospitalized adults with Covid-19. The primary outcome was the time to recovery. The key

ACR Promotes New COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance for Rheumatic Patients

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The American College of Rheumatology has published a draft guidance on the use of COVID-19 vaccination in rheumatic disease and musculoskeletal disease patients, based on the efforts of the North American Task force. The document provides guidance to rheumatology providers on the use of the

Comorbidity and Drugs Drive COVID-19 Severity and Survival in Rheumatic Disease

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While comorbidities are associated with severe COVID-19 infection, it appears they also influence severity and survival in rheumatic disease (RMD), according to a a French cohort study,

Analysis of a French RMD cohort with SARS-CoV-2 infection analyzed the effect of inflammatory

IVIg in MIS-C

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Among children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), treatment with IVIG and methylprednisolone vs IVIG alone was associated with a more favorable fever course. MIS-C is a rare but serious pediatric condition associated with COVID-19 where different body parts can become inflamed,

Hydroxychloroquine Fails to Prevent COVID-19

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There is a preponderance and mounting evidence that hydroxychloroquine is ineffective in COVID-19 infection; and now the NEJM reports a the results of a trial where HCQ given as post-COVID exposure therapy failed to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection or symptomatic Covid-19 in healthy persons.

Adverse Events with Anti-malarials during the COVID Pandemic

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For a variety of reasons, the use of anti-malarials (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine) rose dramatically in the pandemic; notable was the lack of proven benefit and the dramatic risk in reported adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with these drugs being used to treat SARS-CoV-2.

Calculating Serious Infection Risk in IMID Patients

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Predictive modeling of data derived from the DANBIO registry (of treated IMID patients) revealed a 4 fold increased risk of serious infection (SIE) in those starting biologic DMARD (bDMARD) treatment. From this large dataset, researchers developed a simple prediction model to estimate future

High Placebo Responses in SLE Trials

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A systematic review by Urowitz and colleagues examined placebo responses in randomized controlled trials of non-renal, non-neuropsychiatric SLE patients showing unexpectedly high placebo responses; with more than one-third of the placebo-treated SLE patients responding by validated outcome

Protective Effects of Colchicine in Non-Hospitalized COVID-19

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A press release from Montreal Heart Institute announced that the COLCORONA clinical trial provided evidence of the protective effect of colchicine; demonstrating a 21% reduced risk of death or hospitalizations in patients with COVID-19 compared to placebo. COLCORONA trial was a contact-less,