Understanding how human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecule B27 promotes spondyloarthritis has intrigued researchers for four decades. Although the association between the single gene variant HLA-B27—specifically some of its subtypes—with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is particularly strong, how HLA-B27 directly influences disease development has not yet been clearly explained, although hypotheses continue to be generated….
When I began my tenure as ACR president this past November, I posited that it “takes a village” to grow and succeed in rheumatology’s rapidly changing environment. The ACR village includes volunteers who represent a diverse leadership pipeline reflecting the demographics of our younger members. It also includes the international rheumatology community that accounts for…
Research has explored the connection between Sjögren’s syndrome and intestinal dysbiosis associated with ocular mucosal disease. A recent study found that oral antibiotics and desiccating stress lead to extreme changes in the gut microbiota in mice. In patients with Sjögren’s syndrome, researchers found that patients with the most severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca and combined systemic and ocular disease had the lowest diversity of stool microbiota…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Gastrointestinal side effects are the most common reason osteoporotic women cite for nonadherence to oral bisphosphonate therapy, according to a new survey. “Our findings highlight the importance of low tolerability to nonadherence with osteoporosis therapy and underlines patients’ poor awareness and suboptimal physicians’ involvement in conveying the importance of this therapy,” Dr….
Doctor-patient communication is critical for successfully treating rheumatoid arthritis. But a majority of RA patients report suboptimal shared decision making, sometimes due to language barriers, lack of time, limited health literacy and other factors. A recent pilot study sought to improve patient understanding and communication by employing an adapted medication guide and decision aid during clinical visits. Use of the tool, RA Choice, resulted in an increase in patient knowledge, and a majority of clinicians found it helpful…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Statin use is associated with a lower risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially Crohn’s disease in older patients, new research suggests. “Prior studies have suggested that statins can decrease inflammation and may improve IBD in patients who already have the disease. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show…
Past research has indicated that a periodontal pathogen that produces the peptidularginine deiminase (PPAD) enzyme may affect levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody. A new study suggests serum anti-PPAD IgG titers might be a useful biomarker for designing a personalized treatment strategy for RA…
(Reuters Health)—People with psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease, are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes when they have a family history of cardiovascular problems, a Danish study suggests. Psoriasis wasn’t associated with higher risk of heart attacks or strokes when people with the skin condition didn’t have a family history of cardiovascular disease,…
New research has found that a minority of gout patients understands the importance of their serum urate goals. Ted Mikuls, MD, MSPH, says the study shines a light on a gap in patient education providers can address…
Updated projections suggest that arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation will remain large and growing problems for clinical and public health systems, which must plan and create policies and resources to address these future needs. By 2040, the number of U.S. adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis is projected to increase 49% to 78.4 million. Can the healthcare system accommodate these projected increases? Not without changes. By 2025, the expected demand for rheumatologists is expected to exceed supply by 2,576 adult and 33 pediatric rheumatologists…