Injected abatacept may be a worthwhile treatment for certain patients with idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), according to recent research.1 Patients with the rare autoimmune conditions involving inflammation of muscle (myositis) and other organ systems suffer widespread organ dysfunction, increased morbidity, physical disabilities and early death. Symptoms vary by subtype. For example, dermatomyositis (DM) involves muscle…
Risk of Mortality from SLE By Ansaam Daoud, MD, Loai Dweik, MD, & Omer Pamuk, MD Why was this study done? Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with significant mortality, particularly affecting racial and ethnic minorities. This study aimed to assess national SLE mortality trends over the past two decades, stratified by…
Many rheumatology researchers share concerns about the landscape for future opportunities, given recent pressures from the current presidential administration. These may make an already challenging environment even more difficult for academic physicians to successfully navigate. But many in the field will persevere despite obstacles, driven by the need to deepen understanding of these conditions and…
Based on decades of data from dietary and other lifestyle interventions, doctors have long known that significant weight loss can be an effective treatment for people who are overweight and have knee osteoarthritis (OA). One meta-analysis showed that OA pain, function and stiffness scores improved by 2% for every 1% in lost weight.1 But the…
A new study questions whether acetaminophen is a risk-free pain reliever for patients aged 65 and older, including those with osteoarthritis (OA). Although acetaminophen is often touted as an alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, a population-based cohort study found it carried an increased risk of peptic ulcers, bleeding and other side…
‘Patients with rheumatologic diseases are rightfully concerned about the risk of flares after getting their COVID vaccines, especially after holding immune modulators,’ says says Physician Editor Bharat Kumar, MD, MME, FACP, FAAAAI, RhMSUS. ‘A new study is reassuring that flares are rare, even after holding or discontinuing immune modulators.’ The development of a vaccine for…
The development of a vaccine for COVID-19 changed the course of the pandemic; however, it also raised questions about whether to withhold or reduce immunosuppressive therapies and other medications for patients with inflammatory, rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease (IRMD), note the authors of a new study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. An argument for…
Inebilizumab reduces the risk of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) flares and increases the likelihood of flare-free, complete remission at one year, a recent study shows.1 The randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled MITIGATE trial showed that inebilizumab reduced the risk of IgG4-RD symptoms by 87%, compared with placebo. About IgG4-RD IgG4-RD is chronic, rare condition that has, so…
For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), analyzing immune cell diversity in peripheral blood revealed five major immunotype groups, each exhibiting a different response to various biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). This is according to a 2024 study published in Annals of the Rheumatic Disease that aimed to stratify the patients based on…
Arthritis Care & Research (AC&R), a peer-reviewed journal published monthly, comprises original research, review articles and editorials that “move clinical research and practice forward in a meaningful way,” according to AC&R Editor-in-Chief Kelli D. Allen, PhD. That includes research on evidence-based practice; clinical problems; practice guidelines; educational, social, and public health issues; health economics and…