LONDON—From optimizing responses to methotrexate, to the efficacy of biologics, to the need for imaging in assessing remission, the literature, as ever, has been lively with explorations of pressing topics in the treatment and management of rheumatoid arthritis. Josef Smolen, MD, chair of rheumatology at the Medical University of Vienna, reviewed many of the highlights…
SAN FRANCISCO—Lung involvement is a frequent and often life-threatening manifestation of the connective tissue diseases (CTDs) that are commonly encountered by rheumatologists. A variety of rheumatic diseases can affect the lungs, including systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, lupus, polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) and Sjögren’s syndrome. A panel presentation on lung disease associated with rheumatic diseases at the…
SAN FRANCISCO—The heterogeneity of systemic vasculitis, a set of diseases characterized by inflammation of blood vessel walls, presents rheumatologists with diagnostic and treatment challenges, said Sharon A. Chung, MD, MAS, director of the University of California, San Francisco Vasculitis Clinic, at the California Rheumatology Alliance 2016 Scientific & Medical Meeting in May. She outlined emerging…
Although most systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients don’t develop macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), the approximately 10% who do have this serious complication can experience widespread, massive inflammation, debilitating symptoms and even death. To improve understanding of MAS among physicians and advance efforts to develop effective therapies to treat it, a panel of 28 international pediatric…
Results from a clinical trial support the efficacy of vobarilizumab for treating RA. Plus, the UK will recommend the use of certolizumab pegol to treat severe cases of RA in upcoming guidelines…
CHICAGO—A lupus expert recently issued a call for action to improve outcomes of lupus clinical trials, a field that has had so many failed potential therapies that he said it seems to be “cursed.” Richard Furie, MD, chief of rheumatology at Northwell Health in New York, said at the ACR’s 2016 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium that…
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is rarely associated with renal manifestations, but secondary amyloidosis due to chronic inflammation is reported to be the etiology of renal dysfunction in many cases of RA.1,2 The discovery of biologic therapy, with TNF-alpha inhibitors in particular, made a huge difference in the disease course and prognosis of RA patients. However, TNF-alpha…
CHICAGO—In October of last year, a 52-year-old woman came to see Kevin Winthrop, MD, MPH, associate professor in infectious diseases, public health and preventive medicine at the Oregon Health & Sciences University. She had rheumatoid arthritis and was taking methotrexate and prednisone. She had had little change in her RA disease severity and was considering…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The combination of methotrexate, sulphasalazine and hydroxychloroquine is similar in effect as methotrexate plus biologic therapy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new network meta-analysis. “Thus, for most patients, this low-cost combination of medications should probably be tried before moving onto biologic therapy, either as initial treatment or as…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Hidradenitis suppurativa can complicate biologic therapy of chronic inflammatory diseases, according to a retrospective study from France and Belgium. Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) often responds to treatment with biologic agents, but there have been scattered reports of patients developing HS while undergoing biologic therapy. Dr. Coline Faivre from Hôpital Edouard Herriot in Lyon,…