Methotrexate—an affordable, established drug for rheumatoid arthritis—may also be helpful for patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand, a recent study reports.1 Treatment of hand OA and inflammation with 20 mg of methotrexate for six months had a moderate, but potentially clinically meaningful, effect on reducing pain and stiffness in patients with symptomatic hand…
As of April 1, HCPCS codes for methylprednisolone have changed. The ACR is working with the CMS to determine how rheumatologists should bill Medicare corrrectly.
A minority of patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) who were new to rheumatology practice were prescribed steroid-sparing agents through two years of follow-up. This is according to a large, U.S.-based cohort study, published in Arthritis Care & Research, which also found that nearly two-thirds of the patients remained on glucocorticoids beyond one year.1 “Our study…
The 12-month results of the MIRROR study show pegloticase co-administered with methotrexate is beneficial for patients with uncontrolled gout.
In recent months, many rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals have noted issues related to obtaining supplies of injectable and oral methotrexate for their patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (csDMARD), methotrexate is available as both oral tablets and as a subcutaneous injection for the treatment of RA and other autoimmune diseases.1…
Vaccinations against preventable diseases, including seasonal influenza, are strongly recommended for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who are at increased risk of infections as a result of underlying immune dysfunction and treatment-induced immunosuppression. Park et al. conducted this clinical trial to investigate whether discontinuing methotrexate for one week after seasonal influenza vaccination is noninferior to discontinuing it for two weeks after vaccination in patients with RA.
Data from a small study show that severe methotrexate toxicity in patients who are 70 years of age and older and have rheumatic disease may be associated with poor renal function and the use of diuretic treatments.
You are a rheumatologist in Texas. You are very well trained. Your mentors included some of the leaders in rheumatology, and you are respected by your colleagues and your patients. You know the devastation of untreated rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. A young woman with recent onset of systemic lupus erythematosus is your new patient. You…
EULAR 2022 (VIRTUAL)—The pace of scientific progress in research medicine is incredible and seems to only accelerate with time. Thus, the 2022 Congress of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) session on late-breaking abstracts fittingly captured the excitement and timeliness of a number of research projects that have just recently been completed and…
The ACR and a new Access to Reproductive Health Care Task Force are working to ensure patients with rheumatic disease—particularly women—have access to the medications and treatments they need, including methotrexate, and that rheumatology providers are able to maintain trusting relationships with and advise their patients on all matters relevant to the management of their rheumatic diseases.