Wisdom

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

US Senate Introduces the Safe Step Act

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The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today commended leaders in the United States Senate for introducing the bipartisan Safe Step Act of 2021 (S. 464), new legislation that would place reasonable limits on insurer use of step therapy. This troubling practice requires patients to first

Future Therapeutics for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lessons Learned - RNL2021 Highlights

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In case you missed it, RheumNow Live 2021 delivers what it promises: a good consistent program pack with high energy interactive learning. In the Day 1 learning pods, the audience was given a tour of the new drugs in development for RA. Several noteworthy ones were

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

Are You a Super Rheum?

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Several weeks ago, at the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposia, an interesting debate between Drs. Orrin Troum and Marty Bergman hashed over the concept of whether rheumatologists should sub-specialize with a practice, research or career devoted to one disease ("Super Rheum"), or be "selective

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

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

Paucity of Effectiveness Research on Telemedicine in RA

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A systematic review of telehealth in delivering equivalent care in RA patients demonstrates there is limited evidence that virtual RA care is equivalent to conventional face-to-face care. Despite current widespread use, there is a great need for credible well-designed research that will address

RheumNow Podcast – Sweet Lies or Hard Truths? (2.26.2021)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews and discusses the news and Journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

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

One-Third Rheumatoid Risk from Lifestyle

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Analysis of the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data suggests that one-third of the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the USA is attributable smoking, obesity and alcohol intake.

NHANES was used to determine the prevalence of lifestyle exposures

Rheumatologists Rank 2nd in Physician Burnout

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The 2021 Medscape Survey on Physician burnout ranks rheumatology second, just behind Critical Care medicine.

The survey included over 12,000 physcians from 20 specialties. While 42% of MDs claimed to be burnt-out, Rheumatologists claimed this 50% of the time. The top 3 this year were Critical

RheumNow Podcast – Don’t Hold the Benlysta, Take the Vaccine (1.22.2021)

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Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from the past week on RheumNow.com, with more than a dozen items to discuss on this week's podcast.

Inequities in Telemedicine During COVID-19

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Health equity in the telehealth age has assumed added importance since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that about 21 million Americans don't have access to the Internet in their homes. Other sources estimate it is closer to 162 million. However,

Travel During COVID-19 Pandemic

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The CDC has addressed the effects and the issues of domestic and international travel on its website.  Below is a sampling of key advice.

2020 Rheumatology Year in Review

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2020 was historic, memorable and game-changing. Under the cloud of COVID-19, there were many significant and memorable advances and setbacks for the rheumatology world. In our accounting of most read articles for 2020, (not surprisingly) 17/20 were COVID-related. Below, are our top news items

Delays in Diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthritis

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The diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (and anklylosing spondylitis) (axSpA) is often delayed and usually not diagnosed by rheumatologists; a recent metanalysis shows that longer delays were attributable to lower education levels, younger age at onset and absence of extra-articular

RheumNow Podcast – Lights, Camera, Zoom (1.8.2021)

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

Telemedicine Less Utilized in the South and Urban Areas

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MMWR has reported on a July 2020 survey study from 1,009 Health Resources and Services Administration–funded health centers showing that urban Health centers were more likely to provide virtual visits than those in rural areas.

Telehealth has expanded healthcare access, especially in

Best of 2020: New EULAR/ACR Classification Criteria for SLE

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The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) have jointly developed new classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); prompted by the need for criteria that were both highly sensitive and specific. The net result is improved