NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Obesity in women and current smoking in men appear to be the strongest predictors of lack of remission in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) within one year, according to new research presented June 13 at EULAR 2018, the annual meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism, in Amsterdam.1 Even though early identification and…
Search results for: pain
Eosinophilia & Hypereosinophilia Diagnosis & Treatment Tips
CHICAGO—High eosinophil counts that can’t be explained should concern rheumatologists and spark attempts to identify what’s happening, an expert said at the ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium in April. “Eosinophil counts over 1,500 (per microliter) should provoke worry,” said Bruce Bochner, MD, professor of medicine in allergy and immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine…
Case Report Illustrates Hypercoagulability in Behçet’s Disease
Behçet’s disease is a chronic, relapsing and remitting vasculitis with multisystem involvement. Commonly referred to as the Silk Road disease due to its prevalence in the Asian and Mediterranean region of the traditional Silk Road, Behçet’s was first described by Hippocrates as a triad of symptoms—genital and oral ulcers with uveitis—and attributed to links with…
Can Rheumatologists Get More Systematic about Psychosocial Care?
A recent position statement by the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) concludes that patients with persistent pain need better access to psychosocial care in all healthcare settings.1 The SBM offers 10 health policy recommendations for improving such access, including removing system-related barriers, providing referral tools, reimbursing for evidence-based psychosocial approaches, prioritizing generalist-level and specialist pain…
Flare Risk Increases When Medication Is Stopped Prior to Arthroplasty
After total hip or knee arthroplasty, flares are common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a recently published study.1 Higher disease activity at baseline appears to be linked to flares, but use of such medications as biologics and methotrexate did not independently predict flaring. “Contrary to the notion that patients with established RA…
Case Illustrates the Difficulty Diagnosing Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) was first described in the British Medical Journal in 1897 by Scottish otolaryngologist Peter McBride.1 GPA is a relatively rare, systemic necrotizing vasculitis that can make diagnosis challenging. The incidence has been estimated anywhere between two and 12 cases per million.2 GPA mainly affects adults between the ages of 45 and…
Looking for Links Between Rheumatoid Arthritis & Gut Bacteria, Mutations
Patients with a specific genetic predisposition for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may want to take precautions when consuming certain types of meat, dairy and produce grown with cow manure, according to a new study out of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando. The study, which assessed 100 RA patients, published in the journal Frontiers…
Researchers Seek to Predict & Prevent Rheumatoid Arthritis
Preventing adverse outcomes in individuals who have rheumatic diseases is a daily goal for rheumatologists. For example, rheumatologists prescribe medications and perform screening to prevent erosions in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), renal failure in systemic lupus erythematosus and flares across all diseases. Many of these actions are classified as secondary or tertiary prevention, because individuals have…
Prescribing Hope: The Placebo Effect Endures
“Wait. I can explain.” One could imagine this phrase coming up under many conditions in daily life. When I first became a physician, however, I would never have expected to use this phrase in my clinic. In medical school, I was taught the importance of dialogue in establishing a relationship with a patient. Statistics indicate…
Coding Corner Question: Medical Chart Review of an Infliximab Infusion
A 73-year-old female established patient with rheumatoid arthritis affecting multiple joints and with positive rheumatoid factor returns to the office for an infliximab infusion. She denies any fevers, cough, dyspnea or concurrent illness. She has joint pain of 6 on the pain scale. She is on an NSAID, weekly methotrexate subcutaneous injections, folic acid and…
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