Skip to main content

Articles By Bella Mehta, MBBS, MS

kidney-147499_640.png

GLP-1 Agonists Show Promise in Slowing Kidney Disease in Lupus Nephritis

A retrospective cohort study presented at #ACR24 explores the benefits of GLP-1Ras in reducing the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for patients with lupus nephritis. Drawing on data from the TrinetX global research database, the study examines how GLP-1Ras may reduce ESRD progression in a population where 10-20% progress to ESRD within five years, even with immunosuppressive therapies.

Read Article
search bar

How Online Searches Reveal Patient Needs

Managing health conditions is rapidly evolving as patients increasingly turn to online resources for answers—over 65% search for health-related questions online. Our study analyzed Google search trends for rheumatic disease topics, offering a fascinating glimpse into how online search behavior can reveal patient needs and experiences. This approach, known as "infodemiology," tracks real-time Google Trends data to understand symptom- and treatment-related searches for rheumatic conditions.

Read Article
dumbbells-2465478_640.jpg

Personalized Exercise may have Key Benefits in Axial Spondyloarthritis

In a very interesting study at #EULAR2024, researchers demonstrated that personalized, supervised exercise therapy significantly improves physical function and quality of life for individuals with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and severe functional limitations. This finding marks a critical advancement in the treatment of axSpA, particularly for patients with sustained disease activity, severe ankylosis, or significant comorbidities, who have historically been under-represented in research.

Read Article
pregnant, pregnancy, mother, fertility

Is a Biomarker for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes on the Horizon?

With a better understanding of pathophysiology, improved management guidelines, available medications, and a multidisciplinary approach, pregnancy for lupus patients has become more feasible. Despite these improvements, some patients still experience poor outcomes, highlighting the need for biomarkers that can predict these risks. An abstract presented at #EULAR2024 (POS1393) explored this possibility.

Read Article
Telemedicine

AI meets Rheumatology: ChatGPT and patient response optimization

Large language models, such as ChatGPT, are advanced systems trained on vast amounts of text data, far exceeding what a human can read in a lifetime, to understand and generate human-like language. With these tools at our disposal, they are inevitably making their way into healthcare. One notable example is response optimization for SLE patients, as highlighted in abstract #0989.

Read Article
pregnant.baby_.hands_.jpg

ICYMI: Maintain Vigilance for CV Risk Postpartum in Autoimmune Diseases

Pregnant women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) face significantly increased risks of cardiovascular events (CVEs). This increased risk is often attributed to ARDs, its medications or comorbidities associated with it.

Read Article
Stills,continuum

ICYMI: New Biomarkers and Therapeutics Show Potential in Still's Disease

Adult-onset Still’s disease is a rare complex, sporadic, systemic autoinflammatory disease similar to systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis characterized by sustained fever, salmon-colored rash, and arthritis. The 2023 ACR convergence featured several abstracts spotlighting developments in understanding and managing this complex disease spectrum.

Read Article
Checklist IgG4

IgG4 disease- the WInS withdrawal study results

IgG4-related disease describes a group of fibroinflammatory diseases whose features may include autoimmune pancreatitis, swelling of or within an organ system, salivary gland disease, swollen lymph nodes, skin manifestations, and symptoms consistent with allergies or asthma. While remission induction treatment with glucocorticoids has proven effective, the high relapse tendency is an ongoing challenge for clinicians.

Read Article
Stills,continuum

New Biomarkers and Therapeutics Show Potential in Still's Disease

Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare complex, sporadic, systemic autoinflammatory disease similar to systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) characterized by sustained fever, salmon-colored rash, and arthritis.

Read Article
pregnant.baby_.hands_.jpg

Maintain Vigilance for CV Risk Postpartum in Autoimmune Diseases

Pregnant women with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) face significantly increased risks of cardiovascular events (CVEs). This increased risk is often attributed to ARDs, its medications or comorbidities associated with it.

Read Article