Conditions

Subcategories:Axial Spondyloarthritis Clinical Criteria/Guidelines Gout and Crystalline Arthritis 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

FDA Reviewers Question Safety of AstraZeneca’s Gout Drug

Amrutha Penumudi | October 23, 2015

(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,…

Knee Replacement Surgery Works, but So Can Nonsurgical Techniques

Gene Emery | October 23, 2015

(Reuters Health)—Total knee replacement can usually relieve pain and improve function, but a nonsurgical regimen can also be effective in some people without posing the complication risks of surgery, according to a new study. The study found that while 85% of patients who underwent surgery showed clinically-significant improvement after one year, so did 67% assigned…

Celiac Disease in Pediatric Patients

Richard Quinn | October 21, 2015

A retrospective study shows that some patients presenting for pediatric rheumatology evaluation test positive for celiac disease—some without showing any gastrointestinal manifestations. Treatment includes a gluten-free diet…

Researchers Identify Molecule That Promotes Osteogenesis

Lara C. Pullen, PhD | October 19, 2015

New insights into bone cell biology—including the identification of parbendazole, a bone anabolic compound that promotes bone formation—may lead to better treatments for osteoporosis…

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: A Valuable Tool for Diagnosing Rheumatic Illnesses

Khushboo Sheth, MBBS, & Christopher Scola, MD | October 15, 2015

Musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound is a valuable imaging modality for the practicing rheumatologist and provides an efficient tool with high diagnostic value in the evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal complaints. The use of MSK ultrasound has evolved in the U.S. due to the emergence of less-expensive, portable ultrasound units, which provide high-quality gray-scale and power Doppler…

Adalimumab, Tacrolimus Effective for Treating Refractory Ulcerative Colitis

Will Boggs, MD | October 15, 2015

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The human IgG1 anti-TNF antibody adalimumab is safe and effective for short- and long-term treatment, and the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus given short-term brings remission, in patients with refractory ulcerative colitis, according to two new studies in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. In the first study, online Sept. 21, Dr. Tamas Molnar…

Arthritis Power App Can Help Patients Monitor Symptoms, Improve Office Visits

Linda Childers | October 14, 2015

For the past 16 years, the website, creakyjoints.org, founded by arthritis patient Seth Ginsberg and social entrepreneur Louis Tharp, has offered arthritis patients and their families a safe online community where they can receive meaningful support and education. In March, the online portal added a new initiative—Arthritis Power, the first-ever patient-led, patient-generated, app-based research registry…

Interdisciplinary Collaboration at Wash U Advances Understanding of Immunology, Rheumatology

Gretchen Henkel | October 14, 2015

In June 2014, 10 members of a church group returned to St. Louis from Haiti, where they had contracted chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus previously unknown in the Western hemisphere that produces inflammatory arthritis symptoms. Because CHIKV-related arthritis mimics seronegative RA, a group of clinicians, immunologists, virologists and geneticists at the Washington University in…

FDA Issues Stronger Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Warning

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, CGP, RPh | October 14, 2015

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has toughened the existing warnings for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) due to their stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) risk increase.1 Due to a continual review of these products, FDA is requiring label updates for all prescription NSAIDs. Over-the-counter (OTC) NSAIDs already list the increased risk of MI and…

Rheumatologists Share Research, Successes at Annual Investigators’ Meeting

From the College | October 14, 2015

“Each project adds new knowledge that brings us a little closer to the cure,” Joan Bathon, MD, of Columbia University Medical Center, says of the Rheumatology Research Foundation’s 8th Annual Investigators’ Meeting in San Diego. Dr. Bathon was one of more than 30 investigators who presented the latest progress on research funded by the Foundation’s…