Conditions

Subcategories:Axial Spondyloarthritis Clinical Criteria/Guidelines Gout and Crystalline Arthritis Myositis Osteoarthritis and Bone Disorders Other Rheumatic Conditions Pain Syndromes Pediatric Conditions Psoriatic Arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis Sjögren’s Disease Soft Tissue Pain Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Systemic Sclerosis Vasculitis

Arthralgias in Children: What to Do When Kids Present with Joint Pain

Susan Bernstein | December 17, 2018

The evaluation of a child with arthralgia who has a normal physical examination provides a challenge to rheumatologists. Here are some insights into assessing and treating children with musculoskeletal pain syndromes…

Is Hydroxychloroquine Helpful for Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome?

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | December 17, 2018

Hydroxychloroquine is not currently used to treat patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). But new research in APS-induced mice shows hydroxychloroquine may improve endothelium-dependent dilation and reduce reactive oxygen species generation…

MUC5B Promoter Variant Associated with RA with Interstitial Lung Disease

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | December 10, 2018

New research has linked the risk of developing interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients with the promoter variant in MUC5B, which may also contribute to the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and an unsual interstitial pneumonia seen by high-resolution CT scan…

Low Muscle Density & Physical Function in Patients with RA

Arthritis Care & Research | December 4, 2018

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…

Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis at Increased Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | December 3, 2018

New research shows that patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have a greater risk for developing type 2 diabetes than patients with psoriasis alone or the general population. Researchers also found that PsA and psoriasis patients have a similar rate of increased risk for cardiovascular disease…

Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis: Managing OA That Develops After Joint Injuries & Reconstructive Surgery

Susan Bernstein | November 28, 2018

CHICAGO—Joint trauma is one of many potential drivers of osteoarthritis disease activity and structural progression. In Post-Traumatic OA: Pathogenesis, Clinical Evolution and Management, a session at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, experts discussed the effects of sports and other injuries on even young patients’ joints. Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (OA) may account for 12% of hip, knee…

Nonsurgical Therapies for Knee OA Pain: From Medications to Bracing to Exercise, What Works & What Doesn’t

Susan Bernstein | November 28, 2018

CHICAGO—Many nonsurgical therapies are available for knee osteoarthritis pain, but they vary greatly in effectiveness. “How should I proceed and figure out what to do with our patients?” asked David T. Felson, MD, MPH, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, during OA Management Without Surgery in 2018, a session at the 2018…

Emerging Treatments for OA: New Therapies Target Joint Pain, Not Just Structural Damage

Susan Bernstein | November 28, 2018

CHICAGO—Are effective treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) on the horizon? In Emerging Treatments for Osteoarthritis at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, experts discussed potential therapies to address OA structural progression, pain and inflammation. With an aging population and rising obesity rates, “we can expect the prevalence of osteoarthritis will only increase,” said Anne-Marie Malfait, MD, PhD,…

Managing Multiple Rheumatic Diseases: How One Patient Copes with Her Disabilities & Advocates for Others

Karen Appold | November 28, 2018

By the time Kelly Conway was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 2007, she had already been living with symptoms of the disease for 23 years. Her first symptom appeared when she was 14—knee pain that was incorrectly diagnosed as tendonitis. Over the years, she has experienced fevers and sore joints. She was diagnosed with…

Silent Cardiac Impairment in SLE

Arthritis & Rheumatology | November 27, 2018

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…