Moral Distress (3.27.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the journal reports and news from RheumNow.com. This week we discuss moral distress, FM in PsA, Lyme Vax is back & hidden but tangible benefits of the MDHAQ.
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Incident RA is assoc w/ considerable work loss. 3850 RA pts compared to 4422 same-sex siblings (2006-2020). Work loss began 13 mos before RA Dx & peaked the year after, less in last 10 yrs. Work loss highly skewed; small proportion contributed the most work loss days. https://t.co/splolrEDpe
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In this https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 podcast, Dr. Elena Myasoedova examines mortality trends in RA, exploring whether we are seeing continued decline, delayed impact, or a concerning plateau.
🎧 Listen here: https://t.co/tYS24BNsXw
#Rheumatology #RheumatoidArthritis #MedEd https://t.co/GbZV43Cnse
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Spotty Medicare Coverage for Newer Rheumatoid Arthritis Meds
MedPage Today
Medicare coverage of targeted disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) -- both under Medicare Advantage and in separate Part D plans -- is likely to leave many patients wanting, researchers found.
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Mortality in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Story of Decline, Delay, or Plateau? Dr. Elena Myasoedova
https://t.co/YoQmrXHZif https://t.co/7v82hHvvZv
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Prednisone use in Alberta primary care 546 #RA pts - 40% of PCP RA Rx w/ 1 or more prednisone Rx. 41% Rx w/ both Pred + DMARD, w/ 44% on Pred median 124 day before DMARD. 66% continued Pred >1 yr after DMARD initiation. https://t.co/wrxQRP2TWN https://t.co/XxWpjafBsk
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RA pt on 7.5 mg/d Prednisone need hip replacement. What do you advise re: pred dose before TKR?
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Rheumatology Pitfalls (3.20.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the regulatory actions, news and journal reports from this past week on RheumNow.com.
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2025 Update: EULAR Recommendations on Rheumatoid Arthritis Management
EULAR has updated its RA management recommendations, notably with fewer recommendations (a total of 9, down from 11 in the 2022 version), by merging and removing previous recommendations. https://t.co/7SCIL2Prjw
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2025 Update: EULAR Recommendations on Rheumatoid Arthritis Management
The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) has updated their rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management recommendations, notably with fewer recommendations (total of 9, down from 11 in 2022 version), by merging and removing previous recommendations.
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Pitfalls of autoimmune serologic testing
Misuse of laboratory testing may lead to misdiagnoses and mismanagement; this is particulary prevalent when clinicians consider the use of the diagnostic use of serological autoimmune markers.
A current review focuses commonly used serologies and autoimmune tests to identify
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https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 — On Demand
Catch the sessions everyone in rheumatology is talking about:
• RA advances
• Psoriatic arthritis decisions
• Spondyloarthritis updates
• Autoimmune disease highlights
• Vasculitis insights
Full recordings + slides available now. https://t.co/QT6NOXakVv
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Annual fibromyalgia survey (FIRST) in axSpA pts in the DESIR cohort. FM was found in 22% (& assoc w/ less HLA-B27+ & XRay sacroiliitis, equal MRI SI a& ^ CRP. FM/AxSpA had less self-reported Dz activity, QOL, more disability & more likely to Rx w/ TNFi (64% vs 41%), but resp https://t.co/9rkZFUSB2M
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Metanalysis of calcineurin inhib. in RA - 11 RCTs, 1793 RA pts. Cyclosporin (CSA( (RR 1.6 & Tacrolimus (TAC (RR 2.1) signif improved ACR20 responses. CSA was dose dependent, less so w/ TAC. Both require serum Creat. monitoring consistent increase in s-Cr https://t.co/OxNGYbupnt https://t.co/F08vDCMYtr
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Rheumatic Immune-related Adverse Effects with Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
A retrospective study of patients who developed rheumatic immune-related adverse events (R-irAEs) after receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) at two oncology centers in Spain suggests that early recognition can lead to effective management that allows continuation of cancer therapy.
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b/ts-DMARDs Do Not Arrest Bone Loss in RA
In RA, the goal is to control or arrest inflammation such that articular and bony damage is halted. While we have many effective therapies, it is not clear that biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) can prevent or improve osteoporosis outcomes in RA. A
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https://t.co/4UQlqwujiR 2026 — On Demand
Catch the sessions everyone in rheumatology is talking about:
• RA advances
• Psoriatic arthritis decisions
• Spondyloarthritis updates
• Autoimmune disease highlights
• Vasculitis insights
Full recordings + slides available now. https://t.co/wGrptPBYNu
Links:
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Poor sleep increases risk of #RA. English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. RA risk was signif. higher in those with moderate sleep quality (SQ) (HR 1.23) or poor SQ (HR 1.50), cmpared to good SQ. Partly mediated by depression https://t.co/kTbCUHeIGi https://t.co/6CD5tsKDdA
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Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Hydroxychloroquine Lowers SLE and RA Hospitalizations
A population-based study from British Columbia, Canada, shows that antimalarial adherence was associated with a lower risk of hospital admission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus https://t.co/vsJDOh09ji
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
US Epidemiologic survey data from NHANES gout prevalence is incr. in RA pts vs controls (10.3% vs. 4.8%, P < 0.001), increasing trend over time. RA is as an independent risk factor for gout (OR: 2.67), strongest in SNRA. Evidence for the converse may not be as strong. https://t.co/hhRT9NCzVG
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UBER Rheumatology Ride (3.6.2026)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this week on RheumNow.com
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Open-access Arthralgia Clinics
The early diagnosis of IA, particularly RA, hinges on efficient referral and screening of arthralgia patients. Yet most rheumatology practices are ill-equipped or don't have EACs. This report describes the use of an OAC to manage primary care https://t.co/8ut6LkIUEX
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Hydroxychloroquine Lowers SLE and RA Hospitalizations
A population-based study from British Columbia, Canada, shows that antimalarial adherence was associated with a lower risk of hospital admission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus https://t.co/YR8Zfw8pL6
Dr. John Cush @RheumNow( View Tweet )
Open-access Arthralgia Clinics
The early diagnosis in inflammatory arthritis (IA), particularly rheumatoid arthritis (RA), hinges on efficient referral and screening of arthralgia patients. Yet most rheumatology practices are ill equipped or don't
BREAKING NEWS: How many patients with RA achieve and maintain remission with a JAKi? Find out in the RheumNow poster hall with data from the latest real-world study of long-term RA remission. Sponsored by AbbVieMedical Affairs + Health Impact. https://t.co/PPYVfz3tuC https://t.co/Boq8V3qqFp
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Therapeutic Updates
A JAKi CHAT: Shared Decision-Making in RA
Sponsored by AbbVie Medical Affairs + Health Impact
Experts Dr. Jeffrey Curtis and Dr. Kevin Winthrop discuss best practices for shared decision-making, how to talk with patients about the risks of poorly controlled RA, and ways to use a new tool for visualizing the long-term safety of a JAKi.
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Recent Blogs
Master the dos and don'ts of ordering RF, CCP (ACPA), and inflammatory markers that could transform your diagnostic accuracy.
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Podcasts
ACR 2025 RA Topic Podcasts Compilation 6
ACR 2025 Daily Podcasts Day4b-
ACR 2025 RA Topic Podcasts Compilation 5
