Despite the wide spread adoption of electronic health records, many systems are unable to exchange data, creating the potential for fragmented care. New research examined the effect of care fragmentation on patients with SLE in the Chicago HealthLNK Data Repository, finding that care fragmentation plays an independent role in an increased frequency of infection and disease-related morbidity damage. Researchers also found a relationship between care fragmentation, race and public insurance…
Search results for: cardiovascular disease
Changes in BMI Associated with Improvements in Disease Activity & Glucocorticoid Treatment
A recent study examined the relationship between increased BMI and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis treatment with glucocorticoids. The results: Weight gain was independently associated with reductions in disease activity, increased glucocorticoid exposure and randomization to rituximab. The most significant increases in BMI occurred during the first six months of treatment, and newly diagnosed patients were more likely to experience an increase in BMI…
Plasma Complement Activation in Rheumatic Diseases May Accelerate Coronary Artery Disease
Complement can deposit in various tissues, and previous studies have associated complement deposition with an increased risk for all-cause mortality and stroke. Now, new research underscores the relationship between rheumatic disease, the complement system and cardiovascular disease. In particular, inflammatory rheumatic disease status appears to be uniquely associated with mononuclear cell infiltrates in the vascular…
Plasma Complement Activation in Rheumatic Diseases May Accelerate Coronary Artery Disease
A recent study examined the relationship between complement activation and coronary artery disease in patients with rheumatic disease. Researchers found these patients had higher plasma terminal complement complexes and more complement activation in the vascular adventitia, which may accelerate cardiovascular disease and act as a target for new therapies…
Anti-Interleukin-6 Therapy for Erdheim-Chester Disease Warrants Study
Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, non-Langerhan’s cell histiocytosis characterized by tissue infiltration of CD68-positive and CD1a-negative foamy histiocytes.1 ECD was discovered as a lipid granulomatosis in 1930 by Jakob Erdheim and his pupil, William Chester, and approximately 500 cases have been described to date.1 ECD has a heterogeneous course and prognosis ranging from an…
Medical Paradoxes in Clinic, Lab Should Encourage Physicians to Reappraise Ideas about Health and Disease
Wash your hands. This most basic tenet of proper hygiene has been drummed into our heads for years. It’s an obvious infection prevention activity, yet for years, compliance among physicians and other caregivers has been lackluster. To rectify this matter, regulatory agencies began auditing hospital staff adherence to this axiom of infection prevention. Not only…
Psoriatic Arthritis Linked to Increased Heart Disease Risk
(Reuters Health)—Arthritis that accompanies the skin condition psoriasis may also come with a higher risk of heart problems, according to a Hong Kong study. In particular, patients with psoriatic arthritis may have a three- to four-fold higher prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis. Clinicians need to identify patients with high cardiovascular (CV) risk so they can provide…
Why Rheumatologists Should Focus on Patients’ Cardiovascular Health
Baseball is a great sport. It’s fascinating to watch the evolving duel between pitcher and batter. As the former employs their remarkably powerful and versatile rotator cuff and forearm flexor muscles to hurl blazing pitches, the latter engages their exceptionally honed hand–eye neural link to make contact with the ball. Baseball is the ultimate summertime…
Statin Use Tied to Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Statin use is associated with a lower risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially Crohn’s disease in older patients, new research suggests. “Prior studies have suggested that statins can decrease inflammation and may improve IBD in patients who already have the disease. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show…
The Microbiome in Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases
The human intestinal microbiota is home to more than 1,000 bacterial species, containing approximately 3 million genes, many of which code for functions that have the potential to affect human physiology.1 Smaller numbers of organisms are also present in the skin, upper gastrointestinal tract, female reproductive tract and the oro- and nasopharynx. As tools have…
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- …
- 64
- Next Page »