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

Getting Past the Noise to Identify SpA

Arthritis & Rheumatology | April 26, 2018

Objective: Low-grade bone marrow edema (BME) has been reported in the sacroiliac (SI) joints of 25% of healthy individuals and patients with nonspecific mechanical back pain, thus challenging the specificity and predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the identification of early spondyloarthritis (SpA). It is unknown whether stress injury in competition sports may…

Study Finds Pedometers Reduce Fatigue in RA Patients

Mary Beth Nierengarten | April 26, 2018

For people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), fatigue can be a debilitating symptom that interferes with daily life and significantly reduces quality of life. Managing fatigue can be difficult; it is linked to disease activity and a host of other conditions that commonly accompany RA, such as depression, sleep problems and obesity. A new study, however,…

Using Ultrasound to Diagnose Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Mark H. Greenberg, MD, RMSK, RhMSUS, Julian Greer, & James W. Fant Jr., MD | April 26, 2018

Note: Updated May 2, 2018, to correct a link in the reference section. The error was introduced in editing. A 44-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the outpatient rheumatology clinic that had followed her for several years for rheumatoid arthritis. She was compliant with her regimen of hydroxychloroquine, etanercept and salsalate. Her chief complaint was worsening…

Case Report: Cardiac Complications in Scleroderma

Sophia C. Weinmann, MD, & Richard D. Brasington Jr., MD, FACP | April 26, 2018

A 58-year-old African American woman with a past medical history of hypertension (HTN), hyperlipidemia, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc) presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath (SOB) and progressive bilateral lower extremity swelling for three weeks. She denied any chest pain, but endorsed generalized fatigue and dyspnea…

Canakinumab Treatment Effective for Familial Mediterranean Fever

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | April 23, 2018

Canakinumab may be a useful first-line treatment for renal transplant recipients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), according to recent research. Immunosuppressive drugs can interact with colchicine, the standard first-line treatment for FMF, and increase the incidence of side effects, such as diarrhea and myopathy…

Poor Sleep Quality During Menopause Tied to Increased Inflammation

Cheryl Platzman Weinstock | April 17, 2018

(Reuters Health)—Middle-aged women who get poor quality sleep have elevated levels of inflammatory markers, suggesting their risk for heart disease and other illnesses may be increased, U.S. researchers say. Based on sleep monitoring and blood tests of 295 women, most of whom were past menopause, researchers found those who had trouble falling asleep or who…

Nonopioid Medication May Be as Effective as Opioids for Chronic Pain

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | April 16, 2018

A recent study compared the efficacy of opioids with nonopioid pain treatments in patients with chronic back pain and hip or knee osteoarthritis. After 12 months, researchers found that treatment with opioids was not superior to treatment with nonopioid medication, with only minor differences in patients’ functional responses to the medications…

Cyclophosphamide for Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | April 9, 2018

A recent systematic review found no clear evidence that rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with cyclophosphamide have better lung function than those treated with mycophenolate mofetil. The researchers caution that physicians should expect treatment with cyclophosphamide may only result in a modest improvement in the preservation of forced vital capacity…

Reduced Serum Uric Acid Levels May Protect Against Renal Function Decline

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | April 2, 2018

New research examined the link between a reduction in serum uric acid (SUA) levels and the reduced risk of renal function decline in patients with gout. The findings suggest that aggressive serum acid-lowering approaches may be helpful in slowing the progression of renal disease…

Tai Chi at Least as Good as Aerobic Exercise for Fibromyalgia

Anne Harding | March 31, 2018

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tai chi improves fibromyalgia symptoms at least as effectively as aerobic exercise, according to a new trial. Aerobic exercise is the most commonly recommended non-drug treatment for fibromyalgia, Dr. Chenchen Wang of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and her colleagues note in The BMJ, online March 12.1 However, Dr. Wang…