Varicella-zoster-virus (VZV) reactivation, which can cause patients to develop herpes zoster (i.e., shingles), occurs more frequently in patients with systemic vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who have received intravenous cyclophosphamide than in otherwise healthy adults, according to a retrospective study published in The Journal of Rheumatology by researchers in France.1 The study also shows…
Editor’s notes: A memorial service for Nadia is being planned for Jan. 16, 2019, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at Johns Hopkins Bayview Asthma and Allergy Center, Richard A. Grossi Auditorium, 5301 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore. To honor her life and the impact she made on the Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins is establishing the Dr. Nadia D….
Rheumatologists prescribe rituximab for induction and maintenance treatment for anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitides (AAV). Maintenance treatment typically employs fixed-schedule dosing, but in the recent maintenance of remission using rituximab in systemic ANCA-associated vasculitis II (MAINRITSAN2) trial, researchers from the French Vasculitis Study Group examined whether individually tailored maintenance dosing might work better. “The…
The ACR & the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) have published a joint Guideline for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). The guideline will serve as an aid to practitioners managing active PsA in patients.
A typical patient with a rheumatic disease needs a multifaceted treatment approach to address comorbidities, minimize disability, promote quality of life and improve survival. To achieve these outcomes, rheumatology research has evolved from examining a single treatment to studying the best treatment approaches. Examples of these strategy trials include how to best combine pharmaceutical therapies,…
Data from multiple clinical trials and an extension study showed baricitinib is safe and effective for the long-term treatment of adults with RA…
The evaluation of a child with arthralgia who has a normal physical examination provides a challenge to rheumatologists. Here are some insights into assessing and treating children with musculoskeletal pain syndromes…
Big data can benefit rheumatology research. But according to experts at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, the data must first be accessible, interoperable and shareable…
In a study, RA patients taking upadactinib monotherapy experienced less pain and morning joint stiffness than methotrexate-treated patients…
New research has linked the risk of developing interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients with the promoter variant in MUC5B, which may also contribute to the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and an unsual interstitial pneumonia seen by high-resolution CT scan…