Practice

Joint Pain Prevalence is not Declining

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A current report from the national NHIS survey shows that over half of US adults diagnosed with arthritis reported moderate to severe joint pain.

JAMA: Review of Shoulder Pain

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Shoulder pain affects 16% of adults annually and is the third most common musculoskeletal presentation in primary care. This new review reframes the diagnostic and therapeutic approach, moving away from pathoanatomic labels (rotator cuff tendinopathy, impingement, bursitis) toward the umbrella

Efgartigimod Efficacy in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy

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Today Argenx announced the results of their Phase 3 "ALKIVIA" study; demonstrating efficacy and safety of subcutaneous efgartigimod for Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (IIM, AKA inflammatory myositis).

Can Effective Psoriasis Therapy Prevent Psoriatic Arthritis?

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A review article assesses and integrates mechanistic, imaging, and clinical evidence to examine whether effective treatment of psoriasis may modify the future risk of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Doubting RS3PE (8.14.2026)

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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.

A Case of Sweet Syndrome

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This overview appeared in JAMA Dermatology.

ZEUS Trial: IL-6 Inhibition Fails to Cut Cardiovascular Events

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The phase 3 ZEUS trial (published in JAMA Dec. 2025)  tested the IL-6 ligand inhibitor ziltivekimab in over 6,000 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and elevated hsCRP—a population enriched for an inflammatory driver of risk.

2026 BSR Pain Guideline: What Rheumatologists Need to Know

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The British Society for Rheumatology has issued its first guideline dedicated solely to pain in inflammatory arthritis (IA)—covering RA, PsA, axial SpA and JIA.

Evaluating Inflammatory Joint Pain in Older Adults

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Lee, Levinson, and Makris have published an approach to evaluating inflammatory joint pain in older adults in JAMA Internal Medicine. While intended to be a practical guide for primary care clinicians, the tenets and clues ring true for all.

Wealth and Where you Live Influences Outcomes

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Patients from wealthier European countries tend to start treatment with biologics earlier but also stop or switch treatment earlier. They also experience lower disease activity at treatment start than patients in middle- and low-income countries.

What's New in Lyme Disease

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JAMA has published an overview of new considerations on Lyme disease, focusing on Diagnostics, Vaccines, and Prevention.

POETYK PsA-1: Deucravacitinib in Biologic-Naïve PsA

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POETYK PsA-1 trial tested the disease modifying efficacy of deucravacitinib, a tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients and was shown to be superior vs to placebo for clinical responses, patient-reported outcomes, and structural damage inhibition in PsA.

Air Pollution Increases RA Activity and Flares

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In this study from Korea, levels of small particulate matter correlated with increased RA disease activity and risk for disease flares.

Top 20 Best Rheumatology Hospitals

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U.S. News & World Report has published its Best Hospitals for 2026-2027, listing the best among many specialties, including rheumatology.  Each year U.S. News Best Hospitals ranked hospitals in the U.S. in 14 adult specialties and for the 9th year in a row, Johns Hopkins Hospital in

Keep HCQ Blood Levels Up to Avoid Cardiovascular Disease in Lupus

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People taking hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) showed markedly increased risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease when blood levels of the drug were low and when long-term adherence was poor, a prospective study showed.

Arrhythmias in Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease

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A new review in the Journal of Cardiovascular Development and Disease (Tamirisa et al) synthesizes how systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic sclerosis have an increased risk of arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death attributable to shared immune pathways.

Methotrexate Safety Tips (7.31.2026)

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

Four Decades of Gout Management

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During this month-long campaign on Gout, we have documented many significant changes in our approach to gout, as well as many unmet needs and deficiencies that merit our continued, primary attention.  We are all familiar with the famous 1905 quote, “Those who cannot remember the past

New Avacopan Analysis Sent to FDA

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After data manipulation allegations, the FDA has been calling for the vasculitis drug to be pulled from the market since January.

Amgen has submitted a third-party review of avacopan's (Tavneos) pivotal trial data and other analyses to the FDA in a bid to keep the embattled drug for