Results of a recent study in Arthritis & Rheumatology fail to clarify whether urate-lowering therapies may potentially reduce mortality risk in patients with gout.1 The study also underscores the fact that many physicians are not following the ACR guideline to help their patients achieve target serum urate levels. Partly because of this, it remains unclear…
According to results of a recent study of all-cause and cause-specific mortality trends of end-stage renal disease due to lupus nephritis from 1995 to 2014, the all-cause premature mortality rate improved among white, African American and Hispanic patients, with reduced risk of death from CVD and infection. Jorge et al. observed a 32% reduction in mortality. This improved survival may be explained by a combination of improvements in the management of ESRD and of underlying SLE…
2018 Evelyn V. Hess Award The Evelyn V. Hess Award is given annually to recognize the exceptional contributions of a clinical or basic researcher whose body of work has advanced the understanding of the science of lupus treatment. At a reception during the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in Chicago, the Lupus Foundation of America presented…
CHICAGO—At the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in October, the ACR and the ARHP honored a group of distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to rheumatology research, education and patient care. This month, The Rheumatologist speaks with the winners of the ARHP Merit Awards about their individual contributions to advancing rheumatology. You’ll also find interviews…
As rheumatologists, we have a love-hate relationship with the corticosteroid prednisone, a feeling many of our patients share. It’s our most effective medication to quickly shut down an overactive immune system. When we have a patient with life- or organ-threatening autoimmune disease—severe lupus affecting the kidneys or vasculitis causing hemorrhage in the lungs, for example—large…
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is an inflammatory rheumatic condition characterized by pain and morning stiffness at the neck, shoulders and hip girdle. It can be associated with giant cell arteritis (GCA); in fact, the two disorders may represent a continuum of the same disease process. This case describes a patient who initially refused treatment for PMR…
Scleroderma Foundation Names Doctor of the Year The Scleroderma Foundation has named Lesley Ann Saketkoo, MD, MPH, doctor of the year for her leadership and commitment to the scleroderma community. Dr. Saketkoo is an associate professor of clinical medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans. Dr. Saketkoo is an internationally recognized researcher, educator…
ZURICH (Reuters)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected Novartis’s bid to repurpose a drug now approved for rare inflammatory diseases to be used in a group of heart attack survivors, according to the Swiss drugmaker. The company received an FDA letter turning down its bid to make canakinumab a targeted therapy for those…
It has long been known that hyperlipidemia adversely affects bone, but the exact pathologic mechanism(s) underlying hyperlipidemia-induced bone loss has not been fully understood. Until now. Pathogenesis of Osteoporosis New research by Ambrogini and colleagues shows that oxidation-specific epitopes derived from lipid peroxidation contribute to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.1 Importantly, the research shows that innate…
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a leading cause of death among young women, according to an August 2018 study in Arthritis & Rheumatology.1 To help determine where SLE ranks among causes of death, Eric Y. Yen, MD, and Ram Raj Singh, MD, conducted a population-based study using nationwide mortality counts for all female residents of…