The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: The Future of Rheumatoid Arthritis

California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: The Future of Rheumatoid Arthritis

July 1, 2013 • By Stephanie Cajigal

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
The Future of RA

You Might Also Like
  • California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: Aim for Remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: Rheumatologists Advised to Drop Prednisone Maintenance Therapy in Lupus Patients
  • 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: The Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Debate
Explore This Issue
July 2013
Also By This Author
  • California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: Rheumatologists Advised to Drop Prednisone Maintenance Therapy in Lupus Patients

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.—The future of rheumatoid arthritis treatment should involve targeting subclinical disease and reversing immune dysregulation, Paul Emery, MA, MD, said here on May 18 at the California Rheumatology Alliance 9th Annual Medical and Scientific Meeting.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Predicting Treatment Response

To target treatments, it will be important to better predict synovitis, since synovitis predicts erosions in individual joints, said Dr. Emery, professor of rheumatology and head of the academic unit of musculoskeletal disease at the University of Leeds in Leeds, U.K. “I think we’ll have sophisticated imaging at onset so you could visualize what you’re getting very easily,” he said.

Another important development will be predicting treatment response, Dr. Emery said, noting that unsuccessful methotrexate (MTX) treatment isn’t a benign event because during the period of treatment, irreversible damage can happen. He said there also could be an effect making the acute disease less responsive to therapy. Predictors would help determine which patients should receive a more aggressive treatment response before damage occurs, he said.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Emery cited a study that sought to identify whether interleukin (IL) 7 titers in serum could identify which patients with inflammatory joint symptoms would evolve toward RA.1 The study included 250 patients with inflammatory joint symptoms and 80 healthy controls. RA progression was monitored over the span of five years. Findings showed that, in patients with undifferentiated RA, low IL-7 levels at onset of symptoms will predict regression to more severe disease and can serve as a diagnostic biomarker, Dr. Emery said.

Predicting B-cell responses may also help in treatment, he said, citing a study showing the importance of B-cell depletion as a biomarker.2 The researchers tested the B-cell levels of patients who were already being treated with rituximab. If their B cells were depleted, they were given standard therapy. If patients still had B cells, they were randomized to either standard therapy with placebo or standard therapy with an extra infusion of rituximab. The patients who were treated a second time not only depleted, they also had better clinical responses.

Higher Remission Rates

Another prediction: Higher remission rates will become standard. “In the future, if you’re not getting 70% remission rate with in your new patients, you’re not treating your patients very well. That’s what you’re going to be told,” Dr. Emery said.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

He also predicted that, in the U.K., rheumatologists will eventually be asked by the government to publish patient-reported outcomes and remission rates. “If you’re able to get remission rates up, you’ll get patients in [for treatment] very early indeed,” he said.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Rheumatoid Arthritis Tagged With: RA, Research, Rheumatoid arthritis, TreatmentIssue: July 2013

You Might Also Like:
  • California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: Aim for Remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • California Rheumatology Alliance 2013 Meeting: Rheumatologists Advised to Drop Prednisone Maintenance Therapy in Lupus Patients
  • 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: The Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Debate
  • 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Researchers Explore Role of Pathogens, Quality of Care in Rheumatoid Arthritis

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2022 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)