Conditions

Subcategories:Axial Spondyloarthritis Gout and Crystalline Arthritis Guidelines 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

Eat to Fight Inflammation & Promote Weight Loss

Karen Appold | November 11, 2017

Managing weight loss through diet may help patients with rheumatic disease reduce inflammation. Here are some strategies on weight loss and eating for rheumatologists and patients…

Heated Gloves Provide Relief from Hand Pain, Dysfunction in Diffuse Systemic Sclerosis

Rosemarie A. Curley, MPT, DPT | November 10, 2017

Raynaud’s phenomenon in scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with significant discomfort and functional disability, especially in the presence of digital ulcers.1 Having lived with diffuse systemic sclerosis (dSSc) for nearly a decade, I can attest to this. It has been my experience that the hand pain and dysfunction in dSSc stems from Raynaud’s…

Rheumatology Case Report: TINU Syndrome with Concomitant Synovitis

Ambreesh Chawla, MD, David Benderson, MD, Mikhail Kotlov, MD, Evan Leibowitz, MD, & Ashraf Raslan, MD | November 10, 2017

Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome, also known as Dobrin syndrome, is a rare oculo-renal inflammatory disease. It was first described in 1975 by American physician Robert Dobrin, MD.1 It manifests as acute interstitial nephritis and bilateral uveitis. In addition, patients often experience nonspecific systemic findings, such as fever, weight loss, malaise, myalgia and arthralgia. TINU…

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Efficacy Studied Following Accelerated Drug Approvals; Plus Secukinumab Meets Benchmark for Psoriasis

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | November 9, 2017

Medications for serious or life-threatening conditions may receive accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by showing an effect on surrogate measures that are reasonably likely to predict a treatment’s clinical benefit. Post-approval confirmatory drug trials are then required to determine whether or not these effects translate into clinical improvements. In recent…

Hyperuricemia Doesn’t Always Indicate Gout in Rheumatic Disease

Veronika Sharp, MD, Alice Chuang, MD, Lily Kao, MD, RMSK, & Midori Jane Nishio, MD, RhMSUS | November 9, 2017

A 57-year-old Ghanaian woman was referred to our rheumatology practice with acute, left elbow swelling and pain. The referring oncologist suspected gout, because the patient had hyperuricemia. Six months before, the patient was diagnosed with stage IV human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-associated adult T cell lymphoma (ATLL). Her initial oncologic manifestations included multiple thoracic,…

Research Targets Interferon Alpha in New Treatment Approach for CNS Lupus

Mary Beth Nierengarten | November 9, 2017

RETRACTED Editor’s note: The study this article reported on was retracted by the researchers. Key aspects could not be replicated, and they said, “Most importantly, the findings from behaviour studies and sequencing of microglia isolated from 564Igi autoimmune mice as shown in Figs. 1a, b, d and 3a, b are not substantiated upon further analysis…

Exercise May Help Prevent Low Back Pain or Make It Less Severe

Lisa Rapaport | November 9, 2017

(Reuters Health)—People who exercise may lower their odds of developing low back pain or may reduce the intensity of back pain they do experience, a research review suggests. Compared to people who didn’t exercise, those who did were 33% less likely to develop low back pain, the analysis of data from 16 previously published studies…

Rheumatic Disease Does Not Preclude Pregnancy

Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD | November 9, 2017

Preconception planning is essential to help women with autoimmune disease have optimal pregnancy outcomes. Unplanned pregnancy can also negatively impact disease course in some patients. Yet many rheumatologic patients of childbearing age do not receive adequate contraception or prepregnancy education and counseling. Rheumatologists must work collaboratively with other healthcare providers to make sure rheumatic patients…

Physical Activity, Exercise Can Benefit Patients with RA

August Floden, PT, MS | November 9, 2017

While medical advances in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have led to improvements in disease control and quality of life for patients worldwide, the rate for stable remission remains low.1 Management of RA symptoms is traditionally accomplished through a combination of medications and nonpharmacological interventions.2 This approach can prevent the development of secondary adverse health outcomes. Two…

Bisphosphonates May Limit Fracture Risk in Users of Oral Glucocorticoids

Reuters Staff | November 8, 2017

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Early oral bisphosphonate use is associated with a lower risk of fractures among oral-glucocorticoid users, researchers from Canada report. Bisphosphonates are commonly used for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, but their efficacy has been established only in primary osteoporosis, where the mechanism of action of bone loss differs from that seen with glucocorticoid use. Dr….