SAN DIEGO—Should patients with rheumatic diseases switch from a biologic to its biosimilar? At the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting’s Great Debate, held Nov. 5, two rheumatologists argued whether to switch or stay put based on safety, efficacy and potential cost savings. First to the podium to make the case for switching, Jonathan Kay, MD, tweaked…
Search results for: axial spondyloarthritis
A Stiff Man: A Case Study in Ankylosing Spondylitis
First Appearances I watched the old man, his back painfully bent, shuffle toward the scale. A blocky rigidity draped over him. His feet seemed stuck to the floor. His head hung heavily over his chest. Observing him from the end of the hallway, instead of a face, I saw only a mound of shaggy, matted…
Ustekinumab Improves Spondylitis in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The anti-interleukin (IL)-12/IL-23 monoclonal antibody ustekinumab improves signs and symptoms of spondylitis in patients with psoriatic arthritis, according to a post-hoc analysis of data from the PSUMMIT-1 and PSUMMIT-2 trials. “This treatment did seem to have a benefit on axial symptoms,” Dr. Arthur Kavanaugh from the University of California San Diego, La…
Research Provides Insight into Impact of Microbiome on Health, Rheumatic Disease
The microbiome comprises diverse microbial flora, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, that live on mucosal surfaces, predominantly the skin and digestive tract. Microbes evolved billions of years prior to the development of modern Homo sapiens 200,000 years ago; we have always existed with their ubiquitous presence. Despite this, the first microbe was not visualized until…
Rituximab May Benefit Patients with Refractory JIA-Associated Uveitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Rituximab may calm juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis and especially benefit patients who haven’t responded to other biologic treatments, a study from Italy suggests. With its convenient dosing schedule, rituximab may be a new treatment option for patients with autoimmune diseases, especially for those who have not responded to tumor necrosis factor…
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Parents Discuss Challenges, Support Rheumatologists Can Offer
One parent wishes that she could have consulted a crystal ball at the beginning of her daughter’s illness to have “some kind of idea of what we were in for. There are so many stages of letting go of the idea of what your little kid is in for in life, what they are going…
Anti-TNF Agents May Improve Clinical Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing spondylitis primarily affects the joints and ligaments of the spine, but may also have an impact on other joints. Patients experience pain and stiffness that limit mobility in the back and other affected joints. Symptoms can come and go, last for long periods of time and be severe. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs are…
Fellow’s Forum Case Report: Arthritis, Fever, and Weight Loss In a Teenager Suggest A Rheumatic Condition
Joint pain and swelling flare up in a 14-year-old boy who tests positive for inflammation, thrombocytosis, and human leukocyte antigen B27
Rheumatology Drug Updates
Information on new approvals and medication safety rheumatologists need to know
CORRONA Team Provides Data-Based Tool to Address Rheumatology’s Questions
The Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America (CORRONA) patient registry collects a host of treatment and disease indicators for a variety of rheumatic diseases at every physician visit