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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Under Patient Control: Is Diet a Risk Factor for RA?

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Two recent studies have linked diet to an increased risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis. According to one expert, this information could prove to be pivotal knowledge for individuals already at a greater risk of developing the disease…

Respiratory-Related Mortality Higher in Men with RA

Catherine Kolonko  |  

A study that found men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) died from respiratory-related illness nearly three times as often as the general population could provide insight into possible treatment options and lifestyle changes that would help them live longer. The Study Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System and University of Nebraska Medical…

Does PTSD Increase Risk of RA for Women?

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Multiple studies have linked post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), specifically in men. Using data from a 22-year cohort study, researchers were able to analyze the association between PTSD and the risk of RA in women. This large study builds on and expands previous findings by exploring whether the effects of PTSD differ for RA subtypes. As a secondary objective, researchers also examined smoking as a behavioral confounder and/or mediator in the relationship between PTSD and risk for RA…

The Effect of Tofacitinib on Live Vaccine Responses

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New research indicates that vaccination for the herpes zoster virus in patients with rheumatoid arthritis starting tofacitinib appears to be both safe and useful. Rheumatologists may want to check the patient’s pre-existing immunity status prior to administering the vaccine…

Cholesterol Levels in Patients with RA Starting Methotrexate

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Although research regarding the increased cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has burgeoned in recent years, the need remains for a better understanding of the effects of widely used DMARDs on CV risk and risk factors in RA patients. These authors set out to evaluate the long-term changes in cholesterol levels in patients with early RA. Decreases in RA disease activity over long-term follow-up were associated with increases in cholesterol levels in patients with early RA treated with either biologic or nonbiologic therapies…

2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: RA Pathogenesis and Prevention

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SAN FRANCISCO—Evolving research into the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasingly showing that rather than a single causative dysfunctional pathway leading to disease, multiple pathways are involved, the study of which can shed additional light on what is occurring in a person’s body prior to developing symptoms of disease. Saying it another way, no…

Case Study in Dermatology: Tender Papules on Elbows, Hands in RA

Drew Kurtzman, MD, & Timothy McCalmont, MD, with Ruth Ann Vleugels, MD, MPH, & Joseph F. Merola, MD, MMSc  |  

The Case A 41-year-old woman was referred to the dermatology clinic for a three-month history of tender lesions on her elbows and around the joints of her hands. Her medical history was notable for seropositive, non-erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which was being treated with 5 mg pred­nisone daily, 10 mg methotrexate weekly by mouth, 200…

2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Research Offers Clues to Environmental Triggers of RA

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SAN FRANCISCO—Research is revealing more clues about the environmental factors that likely play a role in triggering rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in patients who are susceptible—or that may even protect them from autoimmunity. Large-scale, lengthy population studies conducted at institutions worldwide provide in-depth data from which to identify potential triggers and protective factors for RA, from…