Search results for: heart disease

Psoriasis May Carry Atherosclerosis Risk Similar to that with Diabetes

Kathryn Doyle | September 5, 2016

(Reuters Health)—People with psoriasis may be at increased risk of coronary artery calcium buildup, comparable to that of people with diabetes, according to a new study. Comparing people in their 50s with psoriasis, diabetes or neither disease, researchers found that moderate to severe calcium buildup was about five times as common in people with diabetes…

Treating Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia Could Lower Risk of Developing Chronic Conditions

Martin Garber, DO | August 12, 2016

When uric acid becomes elevated in the human body, a variety of problems can develop, most notably gout—a painful, inflammatory arthritis caused by uric acid crystal deposition in joints. Chronically elevated uric acid can also lead to painful kidney stones. The majority of patients found to have hyperuricemia, however, never go on to develop gout…

Biochemical Insights into Progeria Syndrome Identify Bisphosphonates, Statins as Possible Candidate Drugs to Halt Aging

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | August 10, 2016

Can We Stay Forever Young? May your heart always be joyful And may your song always be sung May you stay forever young Forever Young —Bob Dylan Beneath the rubric of orphan diseases reside some rare conditions and others that are extraordinarily uncommon. These are the diseases that most physicians either never to get to…

U.S. FDA Panel Backs Valeant Psoriasis Drug with Risk Program

Toni Clarke | July 21, 2016

(Reuters)—Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.’s experimental drug to treat psoriasis should be approved as long as certain measures are put in place to mitigate the risk of suicide, an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded on Tuesday. The FDA is not obliged to follow the advice of its advisory committees but typically…

Why Rheumatologists Should Focus on Patients’ Cardiovascular Health

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | July 10, 2016

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…

Rheumatologist Amanda Nelson, MD, MSCR, Walks with Patients to Encourage Physical Activity

Carol Patton | May 13, 2016

“No more excuses.” At least, that’s what Amanda Nelson, MD, MSCR, now tells her patients. As a rheumatologist, assistant professor in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and clinical researcher at UNC’s onsite Thurston Arthritis Research Center, Dr. Nelson says patients often provide a litany of legitimate—and sometimes…

Tofacitinib Promising for Psoriatic Arthritis & FDA Issues Alert for Warning for Saxagliptin & Alogliptin Diabetes Treatments

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | May 4, 2016

A recent Phase 3 study found tofacitinib safe and effective for treating psoriatic arthritis at both 5 mg and 10 mg doses compared with placebo. And the FDA has added label warnings to saxagliptin and alogliptin for an increased risk of heart failure in individuals taking the drugs, particularly in those with heart and kidney disease…

2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Therapies that Target Schnurri-3 Hold Promise for Osteoporosis

Thomas R. Collins | April 14, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO—The discovery of a promising new target for the treatment of osteoporosis has a beginning to the story that, when it comes to scientific breakthroughs, rings familiar: It started with a disappointment. Researchers in the lab of Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College—were in search…

Knowledge of Genetic Risk Doesn’t Prompt Behavior Changes

Kathryn Doyle | March 23, 2016

(Reuters Health)—Telling patients about their genetic risk for disease doesn’t usually lead to healthy behavior changes, such as eating better or exercising more, according to a new analysis of existing studies. Researchers selected 18 studies that tracked seven potential behavior changes—such as quitting smoking, diet, physical activity and using sun protection—among people who had received…

Respiratory-Related Mortality Higher in Men with RA

Catherine Kolonko | March 15, 2016

A study that found men with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) died from respiratory-related illness nearly three times as often as the general population could provide insight into possible treatment options and lifestyle changes that would help them live longer. The Study Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System and University of Nebraska Medical…