During the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Richard Pope, MD, highlighted some of the top scientific literature on rheumatic disease from 2017. The review session discussed research on the effects of microglia on the central nervous system of SLE patients, the role of adenosine in osteoarthritis and more…
(Reuters Health)—People with chronic inflammatory disorders, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), may have an increased risk of developing serious liver damage, a recent study suggests. These inflammatory disorders are often treated with methotrexate, a medication linked to an increased risk of liver disease. For the current study, researchers followed more than 1 million…
Managing weight loss through diet may help patients with rheumatic disease reduce inflammation. Here are some strategies on weight loss and eating for rheumatologists and patients…
(Reuters Health)—People who exercise may lower their odds of developing low back pain or may reduce the intensity of back pain they do experience, a research review suggests. Compared to people who didn’t exercise, those who did were 33% less likely to develop low back pain, the analysis of data from 16 previously published studies…
NEW YORK (Reuters)— Consumer sign-ups for Obamacare individual insurance plans were more than 600,000 during the first week of enrollment for 2018, a U.S. health agency said on Thursday, a positive sign for insurers who take part in the healthcare program that Republicans are trying to undo. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, a…
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)—Uber Technologies Inc and some smaller technology companies are launching campaigns to publicize Obamacare enrollment among their contract workers after the Trump administration slashed government marketing for the health program by 90 percent. Freelance and contract workers are an important part of the workforce for many Silicon Valley companies, including drivers at Uber…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday said that repealing the individual mandate for health insurance would reduce the federal budget deficit less than first forecast as it readied a revised analysis of a policy shift favored by Republicans. The CBO, the nonpartisan budget-scoring agency, said in a statement on its website that eliminating the…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Early oral bisphosphonate use is associated with a lower risk of fractures among oral-glucocorticoid users, researchers from Canada report. Bisphosphonates are commonly used for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, but their efficacy has been established only in primary osteoporosis, where the mechanism of action of bone loss differs from that seen with glucocorticoid use. Dr….
(Reuters)—Maine Republican Governor Paul LePage said on Wednesday he will not expand the state’s Medicaid program under Obamacare, ignoring a ballot initiative widely backed by voters, calling it “ruinous” for the state’s budget. Maine looked set to become the first state in the nation to expand Medicaid by popular vote. About 60% of voters in…
WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical company executive, is U.S. President Donald Trump’s top pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, two sources with knowledge of the confidential process said on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. Azar served at Eli Lilly for a decade, including five years as president of its U.S….