Should you escalate care to a biologic? Many RA patients find this decision difficult and may need extra support and education to come to an informed decision. A recent study on this issue tested the value of a Web-based interactive decision support tool, which was developed with patient and physician input. After eight weeks, patients using the tool showed a measurable increase in the objective and subjective knowledge needed for making an informed decision compared with standard care…
Genetic Data Suggest Dividing IBD into 3 Forms
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Data from a genetic association study suggest that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should be divided into a three-group continuum, rather than the current division between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. “The current clinical classifications of IBD, while important and useful, are a simplification of the true biological variation of this disease,” Dr….
CD64 May Be an RA-Specific Biomarker
A new study found patients with early RA had increased membrane and soluble CD64. After receiving anti-rheumatic therapy, patients’ symptoms and CD64 levels decreased, suggesting CD64 is an RA biomarker…
Rectosigmoidoscopy vs. Colonoscopy for Assessing Ulcerative Colitis Activity
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In most cases, rectosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy assessments of disease activity in ulcerative colitis yield the same results, researchers report. “In clinical practice, rectosigmoidoscopy is enough to assess endoscopic activity and endoscopic healing,” Dr. Jean-Frédéric Colombel from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, N.Y., told Reuters Health by email. Dr. Colombel and…
Sleep Apnea Tied to Gout Flares
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Sleep apnea may increase the risk of developing gout and experiencing flare-ups, according to a new study. Until now, little was known about the relationship between the two conditions, the study team writes in an article online Oct. 19 in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Obesity plays an important role in both sleep apnea…
Low-Grade Inflammation in Symptomatic Knee OA
Although osteoarthritis (OA) was formerly considered a non-inflammatory joint disease, it’s now well-appreciated that inflammatory mediators, such as PGE2 and IL-1β, are produced by osteoarthritic joint tissues and can be used to identify patients with symptomatic knee OA. A peripheral blood leukocyte inflammatory transcriptome identifies a subset of symptomatic knee OA patients at higher risk for radiographic progression and may reflect persistent low-grade joint inflammation…
The Lupus Initiative Receives 5-Year CDC Grant
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) The Lupus Initiative (TLI) with a five-year grant to support the development of a national, grassroots program targeting primary care providers, persons with undiagnosed Lupus and rheumatology health care providers. The program will have three components: Immediate dissemination of…
Genetic Screening May Prevent Adverse Gout Treatment Reaction
Screening gout patients for the HLA-B*58:01 allele may help rheumatologists determine more effective treatments and a patient’s risk of allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions…
BMI Feasible As Pre-Screening Tool for Osteoporosis in Women
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—A body mass index (BMI) of less than 28 alone may be a tool to prescreen younger postmenopausal women for osteoporosis, according to a new study. “For young postmenopausal white women aged 50–64, current prescreening modalities identifying candidates for DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan … are not performing better than BMI alone,”…
FDA Reviewers Question Safety of AstraZeneca’s Gout Drug
(Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff reviewers have raised concerns about kidney- and heart-related side effects noted in trials on AstraZeneca Plc’s gout treatment, especially at higher doses. FDA reviewers, in a preliminary review published on Wednesday, expressed concerns over higher death rates related to the side effects in patients who took the drug,…
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