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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

2015 ACR Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Now Available

American College of Rheumatology  |  

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) announced the availability of its 2015 Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) during the 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Francisco. An early draft of the recommendations was presented at last year’s meeting in Boston, and the final recommendations are now available on the ACR website. The…

Zimmer Wins First U.S. Trial over NexGen Flex Knee Devices

Jessica Dye  |  

(Reuters)—Indiana-based medical device manufacturer Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc. on Friday was cleared of liability in the first of more than 900 U.S. lawsuits to go to trial over claims that its NexGen Flex knee replacements were prone to painful, motion-impairing loosening. Following a three-week trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of…

Helicobacter & Campylobacter May Play Roles in IBD

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Helicobacter and Campylobacter species appear to play opposing roles in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. The prevalence of IBD has increased steadily in the face of falling H. pylori infection rates, suggesting a negative association, whereas some studies have suggested that some Campylobacter species are involved…

High-Spending Doctors Are Less Likely to Be Sued

Andrew M. Seaman  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Providing more care than necessary may work to lower a doctor’s risk of being accused of malpractice, suggests a new U.S. study. Although the results can’t prove extra expenditures are due to defensive medicine, the researchers found that doctors in Florida who provided the most costly care between 2000 and 2009 were…

Methotrexate Increases Risk of Recurrent Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Methotrexate appears to increase the risk of recurrent nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a retrospective study. “We have known for some time that several of the immunosuppressive agents used to treat RA and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are also associated with an increased risk of…

RA Patients on DMARDs Have Higher Risk of Infection

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Preventing infection in patients with RA should be a consideration for rheumatologists prescribing disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs after a Swedish study found patients on these therapies have a 6.1% risk of developing serious infection.

Online Tool Helps RA Patients Make Informed Decisions

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Should you escalate care to a biologic? Many RA patients find this decision difficult and may need extra support and education to come to an informed decision. A recent study on this issue tested the value of a Web-based interactive decision support tool, which was developed with patient and physician input. After eight weeks, patients using the tool showed a measurable increase in the objective and subjective knowledge needed for making an informed decision compared with standard care…