Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center

A proposed biomarker may improve the diagnosis of rheuma­toid arthritis (RA). Writing in Arthritis & Rheumatology, researchers at Pleasanton, Calif.-based Roche Sequencing Solutions and the University of Toronto say their biomarker, constructed by profiling a comprehensive set of antibodies via high-density peptide array, has high specificity and sensitivity for RA, compared with commercially available assays.1… [Read More]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with RA have a 1.5 times increased risk for heart attack compared with the general population. Although the treatment of RA has advanced significantly, the ability to prevent cardiovascular events hasn’t followed. A study in Arthritis Care & Research… [Read More]

Neutrophils, often hailed as guardians against infections, are maligned when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to their role in both the initial stage and disease progression. A new multicenter work, “A Neutrophil Activation Biomarker Panel in Prognosis and Monitoring of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis,” seeks to expand the literature on this topic.1 The… [Read More]

Research in The New England Journal of Medicine has opened new avenues for exploring the pathophysiology of disease flares in rheumatoid arthritis.1 Through longitudinal genomic analysis, researchers have identified a naive B cell signature prior to rheumatoid arthritis flares, as well as a type of mesenchymal cell, that may play an important role in flare… [Read More]

ACR BEYOND LIVE—A moonshot concept in rheumatology has long been centered on the question of whether autoimmune disease can be cured. A less frequently posed inquiry, albeit equally important, is: Can the onset of autoimmune disease be prevented in the first place? At the 2020 ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, Kevin Deane, MD, PhD, associate professor… [Read More]

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Current trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy are the increased use of newer medication categories, such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (Jakinibs) and biologics, and the rising costs of treatment. Unchanged is the consistent use of methotrexate as an effective therapy. These topics and more were discussed at the ACR Winter Symposium during… [Read More]

Two new studies delving into the relative safety of biologic drugs prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have concluded that real-world applications of abatacept and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi’s) are comparable to more conventional therapies in their associated risk of serious infections. Triple Therapy One study, in Arthritis Care & Research, found the risk of… [Read More]

New research has incorporated confounders, such as smoking, to build a clearer picture of family-related factors that may help predict who will develop rheumatoid arthritis…... [Read More]

A 59-year-old woman with rheuma­toid arthritis (RA) presented to our pulmonary clinic for progressively worsening dyspnea of five years’ duration. She described progressively worsening dyspnea after a few minutes of walking on level ground. In addition, she noted worsening pain and morning stiffness of the wrists, knees and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, with subcutaneous nodules. She… [Read More]

A study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology highlights how the presence of autoantibodies to peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) may eventually be used to influence treatment decisions in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), sharpening our understanding of disease subtypes.1 Although follow-up prospective studies are needed, these findings underline some intriguing areas for future investigations in immunobiology…. [Read More]