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Outcomes

Metformin Protects? TrinetX retrospective propensity matching study compared SLE pts on metformin (n 9,178) vs NOT (78,983). SLE NOT on metformin had signif higher risk of lupus nephritis (RR 1.70), CKD (1.27), & MACEs (1.21) & persited for 5yrs https://t.co/78VjEHs8dJ https://t.co/A6lz32fp0T
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Location, Location, Location (7.26.2024)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Location matters; Geo-rheumatology?

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Biologics Prevent AA amyloidosis progression to ESRD The study suggests that biologic drugs can prevent serious complications of rheumatologic and autoimmune diseases, with some products showing greater effectiveness than others. https://t.co/f04Jrzy9ae https://t.co/O6dgD5RvxZ
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PEXIVAS: Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Patients

A secondary analysis of the PEXIVAS study showed antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis (AAV) patients complicated by diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) may have improved with plasma exchange and glucocorticoids, the results did not achieve significance. 

Diffuse

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Patients with Financial Limits Struggle with Medication Adherence The National Health Interview Survey reveals that nearly 1 in 5 patients with rheumatologic disease in the U.S. face economic challenges, including food insecurity and CRM nonadherence. https://t.co/DhiLDq3fjZ https://t.co/zqQRAJDrzc
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Bad News Coronary Artery Calcium in Rheumatic Patients In the 2024 SCCT meeting, Dr. Brittany Weber presented findings showing that incidentally discovered CAC in patients with IMID can lead to worse outcomes, even without prior ASCVD. https://t.co/aJhf0IL1WW https://t.co/uMl89rXjBK
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Earlier RA Diagnosis Leads to Lower Costs of Care A study from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic shows that is RA is diagnosed within 12 weeks after symptom onset, treatment costs were lower in both autoantibody-negative and autoantibody-positive RA. https://t.co/TnrpZGZ4fX https://t.co/elNQ3Pde2a
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Cross-sectional study of 154 adult DLE pts in the Philadelphia area assessed DLE Dz severity (by CLASI) & geoghraphic distribution to ID area deprivation (ADI). ADI > 5 (geospatial disadvantaged) was assoc w/ signif (4X) higher risk of mod-Severe Damage https://t.co/dgeGwzNTKm https://t.co/B3hmUE1G9U
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Digital Self Screening for Arthritis Diagnosis

There are numerous impediments to diagnosis or referral; and a new study evaluates patient use of a mobile artificial intelligence (AI)–based symptom checker for diagnoses, but demonstrated only modest accuracy when applied to a cohort of patients with joint symptoms.

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Inpatient study 5495 Adult Stills Dz (AOSD) hospitalizations (2016–2019). Pts w/ HLH (6.2%) had higher mortality (9% vs 1.5%). Deatjs Independent predictors: DIC (OR 6.1), liver failure (7.2), Infx (3.7), resp failure (6.9),thrombotic microangiopathy (14) https://t.co/BQsbVnw2Ir https://t.co/mbn9JuN7ow
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RA & OA: Nearly 40% have Anxiety, Depression or Fibromyalgia

Researchers at Rush University analyzed clinic MDHAQ data and found between 36-40% of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis patients screen positive comorbid anxiety, depression, or fibromyalgia.

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Potential of Radiomics to Predict TNF Therapy Outcomes in axSpA Dr. Bella Mehta interviews Dr. Vincenzo Venerito about abstract POS0236 at Eular 2024 in Vienna, Austria. https://t.co/ZR5pFINagR https://t.co/bEWjSXWlB0
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Patients with Financial Limits Struggle with Medication Adherence

Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey shows that nearly 1 in 5 patients with rheumatologic disease in the United States struggled economically, suffering from food insecurity and cost related medication (CRM) nonadherence.

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Australian Womens survey, from 25 467 responders the prevalence of #RA varies by how defined - 3·9% for self-reported RA, 1·9% based on the medication dispensed, and 0·5% by self-reported medication use definitions. https://t.co/2FUwftajlG https://t.co/4a5CIfw8hS
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )

Earlier RA Diagnosis Leads to Lower Costs of Care

A study from the Leiden Early Arthritis Clinic shows that is rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is diagnosed within 12 weeks after symptom onset, treatment costs were lower in both autoantibody-negative and autoantibody-positive RA. 

The rheumatologist

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Best Rheumatologists (7.19.2024)

This week on the RheumNow Podcast, Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports of interesting, including irAE, pollution and Psoriasis, microwave therapy, scleroderma without scleroderma that only the best rheumatologists could discern.

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JAK Inhibitors Reduce Macular Degeneration

Mepage Today

Insurance claims data showed that patients with autoimmune disorders who took Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors had lower rates of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), hinting that the drugs might treat the common eye disease.

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Geography of Arthritis-attributable Pain in the USA

The journal Pain has shown geographic differences in arthritis-attributable pain, arthritis-related outcomes mostly clustered in the Deep South and Appalachia, while severe arthritis pain is more prevalent in the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Georgia, Florida, and Maine.  

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Top 20 Best Rheumatology Hospitals - 2024

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has been named the top hospital for rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report. This is the 7th year in a row they have held this spot.

The top 5 rheumatology hospitals are largely the same as last year (with some minor shuffling) and includes

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Updated EULAR Recommendations on the Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis

Medscape

Medscape has published an overview to the 2024 updated recommendations for the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) presented in Vienna at EULAR 2024 by Professor Francesco Del Galdo, MD, PhD on behalf of a 27 member task force.

The new recommendations (n=20)

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Intercurrent infections may be assoc w/ SLE flares. 203 Amsterdam SLE pts, incidence of major & minor infections were 5.3 & 64/100Pys. Intercurrent infections (major & minor) were assoc w/ SLE flares (HR 1.9); major infx lead to major SLE flares (HR 7.4) https://t.co/DSPgi9KrwT https://t.co/FI7ZYf3CPl
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Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Liver Disease

EurekAlert!

Autoimmune liver diseases (ALDs), including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), are complex conditions involving the liver's immune-mediated damage. These diseases are increasingly prevalent, but their pathogenesis remains

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Pollution and Autoimmunity (7.12.2024)

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com.

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MTX was tapered or D/C in 30% of RA pts w/in 2 yrs of b/tsDMARD Rx. Of 889 pts, MTX (19 mg/wk) tapered in 13.8% & D/C 16.5% (planned taper(37%); pt decision (27.2%). In 582 (66%) MTX unchanged, 4.25 increased MTX after b/tsDMARD initiation https://t.co/yc8exMbeD1 https://t.co/b3L3Fha7xU
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Cost-Effectiveness of Biosimilars vs Leflunomide An economic evaluation of 25 099 rheumatoid arthritis patients found that treatment with biosimilar DMARDs were cost-effective compared with the conventional DMARD, leflunomide. https://t.co/lWJB1VL1CL https://t.co/lzra8suVqs
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