Rheumatology Pay Up (9.25.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
Read Article
FDA has approved baricitinib (Olumiant) for the treatment of pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with severe alopecia areata https://t.co/OTXXQvNruw https://t.co/xrg5ocWyjo
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Indian Single center retrospective study of 28 children ≤18 yrs tested w/ 18F-FDG-PET/MR for pyrexia (PUO). 25% Dx w/ pre-stenotic TAKayasu (mean 13.9 yrs), & 20/21 alternative Dxs. All had Sxs & high ESR/CRP; all Rx w/ GC & MMF, 3 w/ biologics https://t.co/6trs1WssjW https://t.co/EOPIarRhY5
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Review of HLA-B27
HLA-B27 remains the dominant genetic link to spondyloarthritis (SpA) across the age spectrum, but B27 related clinical expression diverges between children and adults. New mechanistic data on autoreactive T cells, HLA-B27 misfolding, and gut-joint trafficking point to new plausible, targetable
Read Article
A Day of Infamy (9.11.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on Rheumnow.com - including obesity, disappointing durability with GLP-1 drugs, AI diagnoses and worries about CV risk in ANCA-associated vasculitis. And take this week's RheumIQ quiz
Read Article
Epic Cosmos study of GLP-1RA Rxs in 3.5 million children (8–11 yrs) - very few 0.6% recv a GLP-1RA (20,282 kids) - Rx went from 0.03% (2019) to 9.3% (2026-310-fold incr). More likely in older, girls, obese kids. Most GLP-1 kids had severe obesity (93.7 percent) https://t.co/JW6SXxJjA0
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
True or False: Compared to adult systemic sclerosis, juvenile systemic sclerosis is more commonly associated with diffuse cutaneous disease and renal crisis.
Test your knowledge in this week's RheumIQ at https://t.co/TBlB4pmnKa. https://t.co/q4wlnCQsny
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
39 studies compared Juvenile systemic sclerosis (jSSc) & adult SSc. 935 jSSc vs 15,451 aSSc pts; jSSc had more diffuse cutaneous dz (70% vs 41%), more overlap myositis (33% vs. 5%), arthritis (33% vs 18%), digital ulcers (51% vs 20%), less renal crisis (0% vs 6%) & lower https://t.co/PYuvyaPdxA
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Japanese study of 101 864 children shows fertility treatments (ovulation induction, intrauterine insemination, invitro fertilization) increases the risk of Kawasaki Dz. Incidence rates per 100K PYs - 274 for spont conception vs 391 for assisted conception (adj HR 1.42; https://t.co/Ro0beSXAAq
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
39 studies compared Juvenile systemic sclerosis (jSSc) & adult SSc. 935 jSSc vs 15,451 aSSc pts; jSSc had more diffuse cutaneous dz (70% vs 41%), more overlap myositis (33% vs. 5%), arthritis (33% vs 18%), digital ulcers (51% vs 20%), less renal crisis (0% vs 6%) & lower https://t.co/vflarmwSyv
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Guidelines for Adult-Onset IgA Vasculitis
A EUVAS-sponsored expert panel of 37 specialists across rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and pathology has published evidence-based guidelines for adult-onset IgA vasculitis (IgAV), which behaves very differently in adults compared to usually self-limited childhood form.
Read Article
Childhood vs Adult onset SLE? Retro Australian Lupus Registry study of 519 SLE pts (68/13% w/ cSLE) found childhood onset had signif more damage (SDI≥1 53 vs 40%; renal Dz 62 vs 37%), more Dz activity, less LLDAS-50 (36% vs 51%) https://t.co/ttBRtSVl5n https://t.co/hoN1t16Za3
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Misdiagnosis of Still's Disease
High fever, strange rashes, scary labs often lead to a consideration of Still's disease (AOSD or systemic JIA). Yet the dramatic onset of a systemic disorder may overlap with another, and possibly as rare, systemic disorder that should not be misdiagnosed or mistreated. A current case review by
Read Article
In 2026 Abbvie granted 34 scholarships to students With Inflammatory Diseases. In the last 10 yrs, theyve granted $6 million to >350 students in the US for higher education. These awards up to $20,000 per student renewable up to 4 yrs. https://t.co/DFy5SukB6G https://t.co/9mVkrhL2lo
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Doubting RS3PE (8.14.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles this week where RheumNow featured info on cancer, deadly viruses, AI rules, poetry and good moons rising.
Read Article
From 1975 -2025, incidence of Kawasaki dz (KD) increased 16.1-fold in Japan, KD cases 15 032 and& 14 809 in 2023 & 2024, but during COVID #s dropped to 10 333 in 2022. KD #s rebounded after the COVID-19: Infants showed minimal changes, but kids 5-9 had the greatest increase https://t.co/j0BL2ZELXn
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Retrospective study, 41 pediatric Behcets Dz pts looked at Inflam. indices (NLR, SII, PIV, CRP/albumin) vs controls. BD systemic involvement in 68%, CNS dz in 10%, Vascular Dz in 12% & major organ dz 46%. Inflamm indices significantly higher in BD w/ systemic, CNS, & Vasc https://t.co/wHiBIaOWWU
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
$2 Million in Research Grants for Juvenile Arthritis
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, and while many people think of arthritis as a disease of aging, nearly 300,000 children in the U.S. are living with a rheumatic disease.
Equally important is that 2026 marks a 50 year anniversary for Pediatric
Read Article
Cochicine overdose still occurs & can be deadly. There is no antidote. From 2011-2021, there were 57 pediatric cases (median 7 yrs)(0.41 /million kids/year. 52% started w/ GI Sxs, 12% multiple organ failure &4 deaths (7%). Ingested doses ranged from 0.01 to 1.45 mg/kg. https://t.co/RULmdBX0Qj
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Spotlight on Comorbidities from EULAR 2026
EurekAlert!
Systemic autoimmune diseases are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality – possibly through autonomic imbalance, myocardial inflammation, or fibrotic infiltration of the conduction system. A team in Colombia have been looking into the
Read Article
2026 Guidelines for the Treatment of Axial Spondyloarthritis
ACR
New and updated clinical guidelines released today provide comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) for both adults and children. The effort includes an update to the 2019 ACR/SAA/SPARTAN treatment guidelines focusing on adults,
Read Article
2-Gene Blood Test for Kawasaki Disease in Febrile Children
JAMA Network Open has publshed that a simple 2-gene blood test may aid the earlier diagnosis of Kawasaki disease in children with febrile illnesses.
Read Article
Breckenridge Pharmaceutical received FDA approval for their generic version of tofacitinib on 6/4/26. 5 mg and 10 mg tablets are now available in the U.S. market, for both adult and pediatric use. Tofacitinib Tablets are manufactured in Martorelles, Spain. https://t.co/oAh0KQSFgs https://t.co/fNxEm31MAI
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
A high proportion of juvenile-onset SpA progress toward a r-axSpA phenotype
Results from the Spanish REGISPON-3
POS1352
#EULAR2026 @RheumNow https://t.co/XicguAdXJ1
Nelly ZIADE 🍀 @Nellziade( View Tweet )
Updates in SLE and APS
2026 EULAR Press Release
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) often overlap. While there have been some therapeutic advances, significant needs remain around diagnosis and monitoring, with a gap around definitions and biomarkers for refractory disease or specific subsets. EULAR – The
Read ArticleTherapeutic Updates
Advancing the Treatment Landscape for Pediatric Psoriatic Disease
Sponsored by Johnson & Johnson
Learn more about a treatment offering pediatric patients 6 years and older who also weigh at least 40 kg, and their physicians and adult caregivers, an option that may improve skin clearance for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis or treat active psoriatic arthritis, collectively known as psoriatic disease.
Read Post
Recent Blogs
Adult-onset Still's presents an interesting and diagnostic challenge when encountered. Here are 5 tips to improve your diagnostic acumen for this febrile disorder.
Read Post
I recently heard of a secondary school assignment wherein students were challenged to “bury” a word that was no longer useful or appropriate. Their exercise has now evolved into an unofficial RheumNow task force to retire diagnostic terms that have grown into misuse in rheumatology and medicine.
How did we decide which words should perish? And by what criteria? Who has the final say?
Read Post
Still's disease: paediatrics to adults, a continuum or not?
Dr. Ilenia Di Cola and Dr. Piero Ruscitti
Still’s disease is a rare inflammatory disorder, affecting less than 1 person per 2000 people. This disease may occur in both children and adults, namely as systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) and adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD).
The paediatric form was described by George Still in 1896, whereas the adult variant later by Eric Bywaters in 1971. However only the adult disease is identified by the name of Still.
Read Post
