MADRID—During the 2019 European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR), held June 12–15, speakers addressed the complexity of vasculitis in a Challenges in Clinical Practice session titled, How to Maintain Remission in Vasculitis. Although vasculitis appears in many varieties, one commonality exists among these related yet distinct conditions: When there is vital organ or systemic involvement, disease…
A 2019 update of the ACR’s previous clinical practice guideline on axial spondyloarthritis is now available online. Lead investigator Michael Ward, MD, shares advice for implementing the guideline updates, including those related to sequencing and tapering biologics, and knowing when to obtain images.
Recent research into rituximab-induced serum sickness (RISS) reinforces the understanding that patients generally recover quickly. However, the study also found patients with autoimmune disease, especially SLE, had a significantly higher risk for developing RISS than patients using rituximab to treat hematological malignancy…
Although not a first-line treatment, autologous serum tears are often used as a treatment option for dry eyes related to both ophthalmic and rheumatic conditions. Recent research into its efficacy also evaluated the treatment’s patient satisfaction, finding autologous serum tears reduced symptoms of dry eye disease and received high patient satisfaction scores…
A new study adds to the evidence that metabolic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this large, prospective cohort study, Liu et al. found that increased physical activity among women was associated with a reduced risk of RA…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Anti-fracture medications do not reduce overall mortality in older patients with osteoporosis, according to an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. “This meta-analysis suggests drug treatments, including treatment with bisphosphonates, for osteoporosis should be recommended only for the prevention of fracture and not for any additional reduction in mortality,” researchers write in JAMA…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The recombinant shingles vaccine (RZV) is associated with an increased risk of gout flare, and a new study suggests other vaccines may trigger flares as well, researchers say. “Our findings are novel because for the first time, we have identified a trigger for gout flares that presumably acts through [an inflammatory] pathway,…
Recent research indicates that previous concerns about mortality associated with pregnancy in women with SLE may no longer be applicable. In the study, researchers found a significant decline in the in-hospital maternal mortality rate of women with SLE and a decrease in their length of non-delivery related hospitalization over the past two decades…
Toll-like receptors play an important role in host defense. TLR-7 recognizes viral ssRNA, but also plays a role in the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Genetic ablation of a similar receptor, TLR-9, results in opposite effects, with severe disease and kidney involvement. The mechanism of how this works remains unknown. Anna-Marie Fairhurst, PhD, from…
In an international clinical trial, adding the drug belimumab to standard maintenance therapy for patients in remission with vasculitis did not lower the relapse rate. The double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the safety and efficacy of belimumab as adjunctive therapy to maintain remission in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV). Results of the multi-center, industry-sponsored…