Search results for: hospital

Depression May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Disease for RA Patients

Kathryn Doyle | August 22, 2015

(Reuters Health)—Mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, may partly explain why people with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Researchers linked anger, anxiety, depressive symptoms, job stress and low social support to increasing risk of hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, for people with rheumatoid arthritis…

FDA Warns Makers of Superbug-Prone Scopes over Testing Violations

Reuters Staff | August 18, 2015

(Reuters)—Manufacturers of duodenoscopes linked to recent superbug outbreaks at U.S. hospitals skirted a host of testing, manufacturing and reporting requirements, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in warning letters to the companies released on Monday. The letters, sent on Aug. 12, cite Olympus Corp Pentax Medical and Fujifilm Holdings Corp with multiple violations found…

Patients Don’t Realize Smoking Worsens Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Lisa Rapaport | August 18, 2015

(Reuters Health)—Doctors know smoking can increase the risk for certain common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), but many patients haven’t gotten the message, a new study suggests. Out of 239 patients with two common types of IBD (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) only half were aware of the smoking risks associated with these conditions. “The take-home…

RA Diagnosis Uses Lab Tests, Clinical Insight to Rule Out Lyme

Charles Radis, DO | August 18, 2015

What struck me first as I walked by the exam room where Lynn P. sat was the swelling in her fingers and wrists. The bloated hands rested unnaturally on her thighs, palms up, fingers slightly flexed. Her strawberry-blond curls were offset by a high-neck, loose-fitting, burgundy sweater. Her pale skin matched her trim slacks. She had…

Biosimilar Drugs for RA Studied in Multiple Trials

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | August 17, 2015

Etanercept Biosimilars A number of Phase 3 trials are ongoing for etanercept biosimilars.1 One evaluation identified three trials in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and one in psoriasis patients. The psoriatic arthritis trial evaluated PASI as a primary endpoint and the following secondary endpoints: PASI50, PASI75, PASI90, PASI score, laboratory values, ECG, adverse events (AEs), injection…

Fellow’s Forum Case Report: Aneurysm in Takayasu’s Arteritis

G.C. Yathish, MD, Taral Parikh, MD, Parikshit Sagdeo, MD, Balakrishnan Canchi, MD, Gurmeet Mangat, MD, & Hemanth Kumar Pandharpurkar, MS | August 17, 2015

A healthy 30-year-old Indian male was performing his routine workout in the gym when he developed giddiness and transient blackouts. He thought it was due to exercising excessively. Over the next month, he developed a low-grade fever and started feeling lethargic, to the extent that he was unable to exercise or work. He was admitted…

Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome with Pulmonary Hemorrhage: A Case Report

Joy-Ann Tabanor, MD, Hyun Bae, MD, Girish Sonpal, MD, & Karlene Williams, MD | August 17, 2015

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune condition characterized by hypercoagulability often manifested as recurrent thrombosis or pregnancy complications, with persistently circulating antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies or lupus anticoagulant. Catastrophic APS (CAPS), also known as Asherson syndrome, occurs in less than 1% of cases of APS and involves occlusive microangiopathy in at least three organ systems.1 Case…

Can Systemic Inflammation Influence Mood?

Simon M. Helfgott, MD | August 17, 2015

The Friday night press release: When a politician or any public figure needs to disclose unfavorable news, chances are they will release it sometime on a late Friday afternoon or evening, hoping that nobody is paying attention. In fact, this behavior was coined “the take out the trash day” on the television political drama, The…

The ACR’s Lupus Initiative Expands Training, Educational Resources

E. William St.Clair, MD | August 17, 2015

The Lupus Initiative (TLI) has been an emergent creation inside the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for the past six years. In 2009, the Office of Minority Health and Office of Women’s Health (now called the Office of Health Disparities) solicited an application from the ACR to develop resources for educating non-rheumatologists, both in training…