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].
The prevalence of chronic opioid use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doubled between 2002 and 2015, especially among patients with severe pain or on antidepressants, according to a new study.1 The study adds to prior data reporting trends in chronic opioid use in RA patients.2,3 Severe pain was the strongest predictor for use of…
A prognostic tool developed to predict survival in patients with various forms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is fairly accurate in predicting survival outcomes for many patients with PAH related to systemic sclerosis (SSc-PAH), according to a new study. However, the prognostic accuracy is less reliable for SSc-PAH patients with the highest risk of death….
If approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), difficult-to-treat patients with axial spondyloarthritis who fail or are intolerant to standard treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) may have a new treatment option. That new option is a high-affinity monoclonal antibody, called ixekizumab, which selectively targets an area linked to the immunopathology of…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Data from three recent trials in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) provide information on a number of important issues related to screening and treatment. First presented at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, the phase 2/3 trials assessed the safety and efficacy of targeted agents to treat patients with systemic sclerosis.1-3 In a follow-up presentation at…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—The 2019 ACR Winter Rheumatology Symposium featured a session on gout. Despite a good understanding of its pathogenesis and the many effective therapies to treat it, gout remains a major public health problem in the U.S. Ann K. Rosenthal, MD, Will and Cava Ross professor of medicine and chief of the Division of…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Even in the era of treat to target, cardiovascular disease risk remains elevated and is a major source of mortality and morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Screening and management of cardiovascular risk in these patients is critical to ensure these patients are identified and treated. At the 2019 ACR Winter Rheumatology…
A note from ARP President Hazel L. Breland, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA: Some time has passed since the ACR first published its NP/PA Rheumatology Curriculum Outline. Originally developed to serve as a guide for rheumatologists to onboard a nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA) into the rheumatology practice setting, the ACR has realized this valuable resource…
Genes may predispose people to have certain microbial signatures in their gut that, in turn, make them susceptible to developing reactive arthritis. This is the main finding of a recent study in which researchers investigated whether perturbations in the intestinal microbiome play a role in susceptibility to reactive arthritis in the face of triggers, such…
Recent data showing sustained, long-term safety and efficacy of mavrilimumab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) confirm and build on prior evidence from phase 2 studies of the potential for this new agent for the treatment of RA. Mavrilimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks a proinflammatory cytokine involved in RA pathogenesis—granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating…
Higher anxiety levels in postmenopausal women may put them at increased risk of fracture and should be considered when assessing a woman’s risk of osteoporosis as well. This is the conclusion of a study recently published in the journal Menopause that looked at the role of anxiety in bone health.1 Specifically, the study examined the…