Mary Beth Nierengarten is a writer, editor and journalist with over 25 years of medical communications experience. She is a regular contributor to a number of online and print publications and writes in most clinical areas, as well as on health policy and economic issues. She lives in Minneapolis and can be reached at [email protected].
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been postulated to develop in several phases, with inherited susceptibility factors in some cases leading to asymptomatic (or preclinical) citrullinated protein-directed autoimmunity, followed, after some interval, by the development of synovial infiltration and polyarticular disease. We know early treatment of RA is critical to reduce disease symptoms and slow… [Read More]
The ACR submitted comments to the Institute for Clinical & Economic Review outlining key considerations that should inform independent assessment of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of medical therapies for lupus nephritis.... [Read More]
Attendees at the daylong workshop will learn about key evaluation and management code changes coming in 2021 that affect rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals.... [Read More]
Physical inactivity significantly affects disease burden and reduces the overall quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study from Losina et al. The researchers calculated the total quality-adjusted life-years lost for U.S. patients with OA due to inactivity.... [Read More]
In a study, researchers found rheumatoid arthritis patients experience a persistent burden of functional disability regardless of disease duration, age or gender.... [Read More]
For some patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, regular repeated treatment with rituximab may prevent disease flare, according to a study from Cassia et al.... [Read More]
Researchers examined the benefits of two acupressure approaches for treating low back pain, finding that patients who self-administered stimulating acupressure experienced a significant decrease in fatigue associated with their chronic pain…... [Read More]
Caring for pediatric patients during a pandemicin the age of COVID-19 requires adaptations, says Jay Mehta, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “The one exposure that seems to put [pediatric] patients at risk is if they are on higher doses of steroids, with some data suggesting worse outcomes. We just put out guidelines telling providers to reduce steroids in their patients to the lowest dose that can adequately control their disease.” ... [Read More]
Since it was first described, the spectrum of disease caused by deficiency of adenosine deaminase 2 (DADA2) has been broadening. Features described include systemic vascular and inflammatory features and recurrent stroke, which overlap with childhood-onset polyarteritis nodosa (PAN). Previous data show that DADA2 has extensive genotypic and phenotypic variation.1 Results from a recently published study… [Read More]
The recommendations include updated disease activity measures and a new set of functional status assessment measures for rheumatoid arthritis. ... [Read More]