Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with high rates of cardiovascular disease. However, research has shown that aggressive risk assessment with lipid screenings and treatment with statins may be suboptimal for these patients. A new study compared the rates of screening and treatment between SLE patients, diabetes mellitus patients and the general Medicaid population. The results: Despite having an elevated risk of CVD, SLE patients received less lipid testing and fewer statin prescriptions than other patients…
Articles by Natasha Yetman
Low Muscle Density & Physical Function in Patients with RA
Low muscle density due to the accumulation of intramuscular fat has been observed in RA patients and is associated with higher disease activity. New research sought to understand the relationship between muscle density, physical function and strength independent of body composition, including such factors as total and visceral adiposity. The results: Compared with healthy controls, low muscle density in RA patients was associated with low muscle mass, excess adiposity and greater disability…
Silent Cardiac Impairment in SLE
Drug-naive, new-onset SLE patients, even those with inactive disease, are likely to have silent cardiac impairment, according to a new study by Guo et al. Cardiac involvement is the leading cause of death in patients with lupus, and the estimates of cardiac impairment in SLE range from 31–70%. Cardiac impairment can remain unrecognized until after autopsy. These researchers investigated the use of cardiac MRI to explore early warning signs of silent cardiac involvement in SLE and determine treatment timing…
Pfizer Plans to Increase U.S. Drug Prices in January
NEW YORK (Reuters)—Pfizer Inc. said on Friday that it plans to hike U.S. prices on 41 of its medicines in January, after walking back its previous price increases this summer under pressure from President Donald Trump. The company said in a statement that the increases would be on around 10% of its drugs. Pfizer said…
Ixekizumab Improves Outcomes of Ankylosing Spondylitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Ixekizumab improves signs and symptoms in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis), according to results from the COAST-W study. “Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic and debilitating disease, and I have a large number of patients who have failed TNF inhibitors,” says Dr. Atul Deodhar from Oregon Health and Science University, Portland….
Is More Better? Weight Loss Analysis in Older Patients with Knee OA
Obesity is a modifiable risk factor for many patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), and the National Institutes of Health recommend an initial weight loss goal of 10%. But how does losing more weight affect knee OA patients? In a new study, researchers compared the outcomes of knee OA patients who lost more and less than the recommended 10% of their baseline weight, finding significant improvement in health-related quality of life and reduction in pain for patients who lost twice what’s recommended…
FDA Rejects Novartis Bid to Repurpose Inflammation Drug for Heart Attacks
ZURICH (Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected Novartis’s bid to repurpose a drug now approved for rare inflammatory diseases to be used in a group of heart attack survivors, according to the Swiss drugmaker. The company received an FDA letter turning down its bid to make canakinumab a targeted therapy for those…
Allopurinol for Gout an Unlikely Contributor to Kidney Disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Allopurinol does not appear to contribute to decline in kidney function and may actually protect renal function in patients with gout, according to a large population-based study. Gout affects around 4% of Americans and often occurs alongside chronic kidney disease (CKD), Dr. Tuhina Neogi from Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues…
More Evidence TNF Inhibitors Raise Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A large epidemiological study provides more evidence of a link between tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) and peripheral neuropathy (PN). “These events are rare and the benefit of these drugs still outweigh this risk so this should not change practice,” cautions first author Dr. Mahyar Etminan from the University of British Columbia…
Physical & Cognitive Function in SLE Patients
New research used multidomain function assessment to better understand the physical and cognitive functioning of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. The pilot study found a high prevalence of impairment in SLE patients, similar to or exceeding the prevalence seen in the general geriatric population. Patients scored lower for lower body strength and low average for cognitive flexibility and attention…
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