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Subcategories:Axial SpondyloarthritisGout and Crystalline ArthritisGuidelinesMyositisOsteoarthritis and Bone DisordersOther Rheumatic ConditionsPain SyndromesPediatric ConditionsPsoriatic ArthritisRheumatoid ArthritisSjögren’s DiseaseSoft Tissue PainSystemic Lupus ErythematosusSystemic SclerosisVasculitis

Obesity Linked with Disability After Joint Surgery

Shereen Lehman  |  

(Reuters Health)—People who undergo joint surgery, such as joint replacements for arthritis, are more likely to become dependent in the years following surgery if they are obese, researchers say. Further research is needed to know why this happens and how to prevent it, the study team writes in British Journal of Anaesthesia.1 “I think there’s…

The Diagnosis: How to Advise Newly Diagnosed RA Patients

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Receiving an RA diagnosis may be emotional and difficult for patients. By engaging the patient in learning about the disease and its treatment options, as well as cultivating a communicative relationship, rheumatologists can truly help a patient take control of their health…

Update on ACR’s Rheumatology-Specific APM

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Efforts by the ACR to develop a rheumatology-specific alternative payment model (APM) are well under way. The first draft proposal was approved by the ACR Board of Directors in November and presented to the rheumatology community during the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego. The ACR is pursuing the development of a rheumatology-specific APM…

Pedometers & RA: Does Increasing Physical Activity Decrease Fatigue?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Recent research examined the effectiveness of a pedometer-based intervention for managing fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). During the 21-week trial, RA patients using pedometers successfully increased their physical activity, with a greater than 30% decrease in the proportion of participants classified as sedentary. Patients also decreased their reported fatigue, and some reported improvements in function, pain, depressive symptoms and disease activity levels…

Many Doctors & Specialists Don’t Adhere to Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria

Lorraine L. Janeczko  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Generalist doctors, and even many specialists, have relatively poor knowledge of the American College of Rheumatology 1990 and 2010 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria, according to results of a survey conducted in Canada. “Physicians do not have adequate and homogeneous knowledge of the fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. Approximately half of physicians did not adhere to…

Vitamin D, Calcium Supplements May Not Lower Fracture Risk

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Older adults who take vitamin D and calcium are no less likely to break their hips or other bones than peers who don’t use these supplements, a research review suggests. Researchers examined data from 33 previous trials with a total of more than 51,000 people aged 50 or older who were living in the…

A Defect in Mitochondrial Function May Underlie Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may be unable to meet certain energetic demands, according to a U.K. study. Researchers found that PBMCs in healthy individuals may adapt to environmental stressors by enhancing their ability to increase ATP production through mitochondrial respiration, but not in patients with CFS…

Rituximab Use Increasing in Treatment of Pediatric Vasculitis

Catherine Kolonko  |  

According to a large cohort study of pediatric patients, rituximab use is on the rise in the treatment of children diagnosed with vasculitis. Treatment with cyclophosphamide remains common, but it’s beginning to wane. Dialysis and mechanical ventilation also remain common, the study indicates. The retrospective study of hospitalized children in the U.S. included the largest…

Weight Change in Early RA & the Risk of Mortality

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Sparks et al set out to investigate whether weight change during the early RA period is associated with subsequent mortality and to evaluate whether there is an RA-specific effect. They investigated weight change during the early RA period, because this is the window of time during which weight change is most likely to be related to RA-specific processes. They found that severe weight loss during the early RA period was associated with a subsequent increased mortality risk both for women with and without RA…