Search results for: knee

FDA Approves Meloxicam Injection & OTC Diclofenac Sodium Topical Gel for Pain Management

Michele B. Kaufman, PharmD, BCGP | April 13, 2020

The FDA has approved two pain medications: meloxicam in an injection and over-the-counter diclofenac sodium topical gel 1%…

Statins Linked to Reduced Likelihood of Joint Replacement

Reuters Staff | March 16, 2020

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—High-intensity statins are associated with a lower risk of joint replacement, new findings show. “Statins at high intensity may reduce the risk of hip and knee replacement. The effect may be RA specific,” Dr. Aliya Sarmanova of the University of Nottingham, U.K., and colleagues write in Rheumatology.1 Statins have anti-inflammatory effects, and…

Pediatric Cases Require Special Considerations & Aggressive Treatment Plans

Thomas R. Collins | March 12, 2020

ATLANTA—Managing pediatric patients with rheumatic disease involves special considerations, such as developmental concerns and physiological traits that may affect dosing of medications, according to two experts. During a session at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, Courtney Kremer, ARNP, a pediatric nurse practitioner at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Iowa City, and Jessica…

Thoughtful Pediatric Care: Pediatric Cases Require Special Considerations & Aggressive Treatment Plans

Thomas R. Collins | March 9, 2020

In Canada, five provinces will now reimburse patients with plaque psoriasis who use risankizumab. Also, Canada Health has approved apremilast for treating adults with plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis…

Remembering Etanercept & the Advent of the Biologic Era

Robert S. Katz, MD | February 10, 2020

As a veteran rheumatologist, I remember the clinical trials of etanercept’s (Enbrel’s) efficacy. And when the drug was first approved in 1998, I participated in those clinical trials and realized the effectiveness was astonishing. It was easy to tell which patients were treated with etanercept vs. those who received placebo, even though both groups were…

Case Report: Obliterative Bronchiolitis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Robin Paudel, MD, Prerna Dogra, MD, & Richard S. Morehead, MD | January 17, 2020

A 59-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presented to our pulmonary clinic for progressively worsening dyspnea of five years’ duration. She described progressively worsening dyspnea after a few minutes of walking on level ground. In addition, she noted worsening pain and morning stiffness of the wrists, knees and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, with subcutaneous nodules. She…

Myositis-Specific Antibodies Identified

Mithu Maheswaranathan, MD, & Lisa Criscione-Schreiber, MD, MEd | January 16, 2020

The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) encompass eight categories: 1) dermatomyositis (DM) in adults, 2) juvenile dermatomyositis, 3) amyopathic DM, 4) cancer-associated DM, 5) polymyositis, 6) immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, 7) inclusion body myositis, and 8) overlap myositis.1 These categories help classify the myopathies based on clinical and histologic features. The incidence of IIM is estimated at…

Immunoassay May Help Identify Pediatric Lyme Arthritis

Marilynn Larkin | December 18, 2019

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In Lyme disease-endemic areas, a C6 peptide enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test may help guide initial management of children with acute arthritis, an observational study suggests.1 “Children with Lyme disease frequently present to the emergency department with an inflamed joint,” Lise Nigrovic, MD, MPH, of Boston Children’s Hospital tells Reuters Health by email….

Coding Corner Questions: Rheumatology Word Search

From the College | December 18, 2019

Questions What type of drug is interchangeable with an FDA-approved biologic? What drug is used in conjunction with infliximab, unless the patient cannot tolerate it? What can be used as a key element in an evaluation and management (E/M) service, along with the history, exam and medical decision making? What drives the level of an…