WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Supreme Court preserved President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law on Thursday, upholding crucial tax subsidies while turning aside a conservative legal challenge that could have doomed the law. “After more than 50 votes in Congress to repeal or weaken this law, after a presidential election based in part on preserving or repealing…
Articles by Natasha Yetman
Inspiratory Muscle Training Boosts Lung Strength in Ankylosing Spondylitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Inspiratory muscle training can help improve aerobic capacity and pulmonary function in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to new findings presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress. “Inspiratory muscle training as a stand-alone therapy improves inspiratory muscle function (strength and endurance), decreases symptoms of dyspnea and improves exercise capacity,”…
Many Psoriasis Patients Have Undiagnosed Arthritis
(Reuters Health)—Up to 15% of people with psoriasis have undiagnosed arthritis that’s related to the skin condition, according to a new review. “The important takeaway,” said Dr. Abby Van Voorhees, director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, “would be that further education is needed…
Authorities Arrest 243 People in $712 Million Medicare Fraud
(Reuters)—The U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday that 243 people have been arrested across the country, charged with submitting fake billing for Medicare, a government healthcare program, that totaled $712 million. Attorney General Loretta Lynch described the arrests as the largest criminal healthcare fraud takedown in the history of the Justice Department. Those arrested…
Cardiovascular Abnormalities Seen in Treatment-Naive RA Patients
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A new study has identified myocardial and vascular abnormalities in patients with newly diagnosed, treatment-naive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). “The study suggests cardiac abnormalities already exist in newly diagnosed patients with RA,” senior author Dr. Maya Buch of the University of Leeds in the UK told Reuters Health by email. “Specifically, a reduction…
Screen Type 1 Diabetes & Pediatric Rheumatology Patients for Celiac Disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Screening for celiac disease (CD) is important in patients newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and in children presenting for rheumatology evaluation, according to a pair of new reports. In a systematic review, online June 15 in Pediatrics, Australian researchers found most cases of CD are diagnosed within five years of…
Ultrasound-Defined Tenosynovitis Beats Signs, Symptoms for Spotting Early RA
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Ultrasound-defined tenosynovitis (TS) is a strong predictor of early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new findings presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Annual Congress in Rome. Patients with TS of the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendons or the finger flexor tendons were more than six times as likely to be…
Public Rarely Knows Why FDA Rejects New Drugs
(Reuters Health)—Drug companies generally don’t disclose all the reasons new medicines fail to win U.S. marketing approval, even though regulators often reject treatments over concerns about safety or effectiveness, a study finds. Researchers compared the details companies made public in press releases with confidential documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration known as complete…
Knee Osteoarthritis Pain Worse with Insomnia
(Reuters Health)—People suffering from osteoarthritis, the most common type of joint inflammation, are more likely to have knee pain when they also have difficulty getting enough sleep, a study suggests. Researchers found that people with knee osteoarthritis and insomnia were also more likely to suffer from a nervous system disorder called “central sensitization” that makes…
Most Americans Want Congress to Ensure Obamacare Subsidies
(Reuters)—A majority of Americans say Congress should make sure Obamacare subsidies to buy health insurance are available nationwide if the Supreme Court rules that the payments in at least 34 states are illegal, according to a poll released on Tuesday. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll surveyed 1,200 people from June 2 to June 9 in…