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No Gain with Pain: Exercise & Physical Function in Patients with Rheumatic Disease

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Pain can deter patients with rheumatic disease from engaging in physical activity. But the latest research shows exercise helps reduce pain, & other influences may also affect patients’ activity levels, particularly after surgery…

Updates to Axial Spondyloarthritis Guideline

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A 2019 update of the ACR’s previous clinical practice guideline on axial spondyloarthritis is now available online. Lead investigator Michael Ward, MD, shares advice for implementing the guideline updates, including those related to sequencing and tapering biologics, and knowing when to obtain images.

Long-Term Physical Activity Lowers the Risk of RA among Women

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A new study adds to the evidence that metabolic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In this large, prospective cohort study, Liu et al. found that increased physical activity among women was associated with a reduced risk of RA…

Case Report: Not All Crystals Are Gout

Katherine Yates, MD, Erin H. Penn, MD, & Minna J. Kohler, MD   |  

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often experience joint pain due to various etiologies, including crystalline arthropathies, renal osteodystrophy, amyloid arthropathy, erosive osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis and even erosive spondylarthrosis.1 Below, we present a case of crystalline arthropathy in a patient with chronic kidney disease, mistaken for gout. The Case A 29-year-old man was admitted to…

Study Probes New Gene Therapy for Severe, Localized Scleroderma (Morphea)

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In September 2018, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) granted fast-track status to FCX‑013, a gene therapy product developed to treat moderate to severe localized scleroderma (morphea). Previously, the treatment received an orphan drug designation for localized scleroderma, as well as a rare pediatric disease designation. Phase 1 and 2 studies will assess safety…

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Case Report: A Patient Helps Diagnose Familial Mediterranean Fever

Taylor Faulk, MD, & Matthew B. Carroll, MD  |  

Autoinflammatory diseases are genetically diverse, but clinically similar, conditions distinct from autoimmune illnesses, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis. Clinically, they are defined by recurrent episodes of inflammation that follow a characteristic pattern each time they occur. Some have a set length of time during which fever, peritonitis or arthritis manifest. Others are…

Lessons Learned from Two Scleroderma Lung Studies (Plus a Third That’s Recruiting Sites)

Elizabeth R. Volkmann, MD, MS, Michael D. Roth, MD, Donald P. Tashkin, MD, Cathie Spino, ScD, & Dinesh Khanna, MD, MS  |  

Historically, the early approach for treating interstitial lung disease (ILD) due to systemic sclerosis (SSc) involved immunosuppressant therapy, primarily with cytotoxic agents.1 Glucocorticoids in combination with another immunosuppressant agent, such as oral azathioprine or cyclophosphamide, were often used to treat patients with severe, progressive SSc-ILD.2 However, direct evidence to support this thera­peutic approach was lacking…

Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance, Part 3: Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mary Choy, PharmD, BCGP, FASHP  |  

Over the past few years, bio­similars and other new drugs have been introduced to treat rheumatic illnesses. Some of the conditions we treat have numerous drug options, others have few or only off-label options. This series, “Rheumatology Drugs at a Glance,” provides streamlined information on the administration of biologic, biosimilar and small molecule inhibitor drugs…