SAN DIEGO—Top researchers gathered for a review course at the start of the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in November to describe new research, their own treatment strategies and new ways of thinking about an array of rheumatic diseases. Here are the highlights: Raynaud’s & Other Digit Problems When a patient walks into your clinic with…
The year was 1991. It was my first Tuesday as a rheumatology fellow at the University of Pittsburgh’s Presbyterian Hospital. Navigating a maze of buildings and hallways, I delivered myself to the entrance to the scleroderma clinic. Running late and not knowing whether there was a separate entrance for staff, I clicked open the door….
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—People with gout face a modestly increased risk, of about 20%, for developing osteoporosis, compared to people without gout, researchers in Taiwan suggest. In their population-based study to examine a possible association between gout and subsequent osteoporosis, Dr. Victor C. Kok of Asia University (Taiwan), Taichung, and colleagues retrospectively analyzed data from…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—People with persistent pain need better access to psychosocial care, according to a position statement from the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM). “Psychosocial approaches to pain management need to be available for all individuals with persistent pain in all healthcare settings,” Dr. E. Amy Janke from the University of the Sciences, in…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), menopause is associated with both functional decline and an acceleration of that decline, according to a longitudinal study from the U.S. However, several factors involving increased hormonal exposure were associated with less-severe functional decline in women with RA: ever having received hormonal replacement therapy (HRT), ever…
Novel research has linked cold environments—with snow, ice and overall frigid conditions—to an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. This research has many rheumatologists eager for more research that could aid patients and further the understanding of the disease…
New research from the CDC evaluated the prevalence of healthcare provider counseling for physical activity as a management strategy for arthritis. Researchers found that although healthcare provider counseling for exercise has increased during the past decade, 40% of patients with arthritis do not receive this counseling, resulting in a greater prevalence of physical inactivity for this patient population…
In its second indication in the EU, ixekizumab has been approved by the European Commission to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis…
Women with rheumatic diseases have unique reproductive health needs, and family planning counseling is a critical component to their overall healthcare. A new research review examines the barriers to patients with rheumatic disease receiving family planning counseling. Additionally, reviewers provide rheumatologists with practical suggestions to optimize communication with patients, as well as address the effect of medications and the effectiveness of contraception…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Baseline measures of bone density, microarchitecture and strength predict the risk of fragility fractures in postmenopausal women, according to results from the Calgary CaMOS cohort. Changes in bone health were not associated with fracture risk, however, said Dr. Lauren A. Burt from the University of Calgary, Canada, who worked on the study….