Articles By Jack Cush, MD
Increasing Risk of Lupus Nephritis
Population based study from Minnesota shows that the incidence of lupus nephritis (LN) in the US has increased in the last four decades and that LN patients have poorer outcomes with high rates of ESRD and mortality rates six times that of the general population.
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2022 ASAS-EULAR Guidelines for Axial Spondyloarthritis
Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) and EULAR have published their 2022 update and recommendations for the management of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).
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FDA Approves Upadacitinib for Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis
On Friday October 21st the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved upadacitinib (Rinvoq) for the treatment of active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in patients with objective signs of inflammation who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to tumor necrosis factor blocker therapy.
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ACR Award Winners (10.21.2022)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com. Highlighted discussion of implantable stimulators, urine proteomics and gut-immune responses to Prevotella in RA.
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Pregnancy Outcomes with Belimumab
Pregnancy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is fraught with problems of adverse pregnancy outcomes, more pregnancy loss and birth defects. Now a study of SLE pregnancies exposed to belimumab (BEL) shows and expected rate of pregnancy loss but a variable rate of birth defects.
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Primer on Clinical Trials
In this week's special podcast, Dr. Jack Cush offers a primer on rheumatology clinical trials, answering the question: should you be involved in research and clinical trials in rheumatology?
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Predicting Cardiovascular Events in SLE
A study from the Georgia Lupus Registry shows that systemic lupus erythematosus patients are at greatest risk for cardiovascular disease events between years 2 and 11 after diagnosis and higher in Black people or those with a discoid rash.
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Second Efforts in Treating RA Partial Responders
The results of a treat-to-target (T2T) combination therapy trial in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) show that if patients fail to respond initially, then a second, more intensified regimen can turn initial nonresponders into responders.
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Good Outcomes with TNF Blocker Use During RA Pregnancies
A prospective cohort study of treatment and pregnancy outcomes in women with RA shows that TNF inhibitor use during pregnancy did not increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, but instead led to more positive outcomes such as fewer low-birth-weight deliveries.
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Intravenous Immune Globulin in Dermatomyositis
Few drugs have been studied well in the treatment of dermatomyositis (DM) and only recently has intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) been granted FDA approval for the treatment of DM, based on this pivotal trial.
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