WASHINGTON, D.C.—As treatments for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) improve, some related conditions that used to be common in patients with RA are not seen very often anymore, but they still exist and physicians need to know how to identify them. Speaking to attendees at the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting talk titled Rheumatoid Arthritis—A Case-Based Approach to Selected…
Soon, rheumatologists may have another drug to offer their patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RRA) for whom effective and safe treatment remains challenging. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that patients with RRA treated with once-daily baricitinib in a 4 mg dose had a significant clinical improvement in symptoms of…
New research dispels the fear that denosumab will increase the risk of infection in vulnerable populations with rheumatoid arthritis when it is prescribed in combination with TNF inhibitors or other biologics. Investigators found the treatment did not increase infection risk beyond what is expected for the patients’ disease, comorbidities and medications…
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Researchers at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting discussed how they are exploring the immune system in search of groundwork for new rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatments. The new avenues, supported by the Rheumatology Research Foundation, involve T cell adhesion, new understanding of the role of macrophages and insights into the way IgG glycans function. T…
As the Hispanic population has grown in the U.S., very little research has examined the potentially unique clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis in these patients. A new small-scale study of Hispanic patients with RA identified trends in functional disability—showing that disease activity, pain and depression were modifiable parameters over time, with consistent, independent and additive contributions to changes in functional disability across the disease trajectory…
A recent observational study found a link between high-intensity statin therapy and a 23% reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Although further research is needed, researchers note this study “provides robust evidence of a protective effect of high-intensity statins on the risk of RA.”
As we begin another new year, many rheumatology practices will again receive prior authorization requests from Medicare Part D for all methotrexate prescriptions. When methotrexate is used as a chemotherapeutic drug, it’s covered by Part B, but when it’s used as an oral agent for rheumatoid arthritis, it’s covered by Part D. Early in the…
EULAR has updated its recommendations for the management of early arthritis, outlining aspects of diagnosis and drug treatments…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Statin treatment is associated with an attenuation of the increases in serum lipids experienced by rheumatoid arthritis patients on tocilizumab, according to a post-hoc analysis of clinical trials. Treatment with the interleukin-6 receptor-alpha inhibitor tocilizumab is known to raise total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. To explore the possible effect of…
Systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) is a very rare disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of severe hypotension, hypoalbuminemia and hemoconcentration.1 Attacks of SCLS occur in three phases: 1) prodrome; 2) hypovolemia with weight gain; and 3) hypervolemia with fluid overload and polyuria often complicated by pulmonary edema. Often, compartment syndrome can lead to rhabdomyolysis as…