At the ACR Convergence 2024 Year in Review lecture, experts discussed advancements in disease understanding and treatments, as well as in basic science.
Interventions to Delay RA Onset
Two new successful trials in abatacept, APIPPRA and ARIAA, are the first to convincingly demonstrate the potential of a preventive approach to RA treatment.
The Prospect of Rheumatoid Arthritis Prevention
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is treatable, and for that, we should be grateful. But wouldn’t it be better if we could prevent it from even happening? Recent data from a study in China demonstrated some interesting results. Could an older type of diabetes medication be the answer we’ve been looking for? Background Preclinical studies have suggested…
Rheumatoid Arthritis Prevention, Remission & Treatment De-Escalation
CHICAGO—With an ever-strengthening foundation beneath the pathophysiology and prediction of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the field may soon focus more intently on prevention, an expert said at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The session also covered the latest in remission targets and therapy de-escalation. RA Prevention Kevin Deane, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and principal…
Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Preventable?
Is rheumatoid arthritis (RA) preventable? Results of a newly published study suggest that personalized medicine approaches may result in health behavior that may reduce RA risk. “We have gotten to the point where we’ve identified some modifiable behaviors that affect rheumatoid arthritis risk,” says Jeffrey A. Sparks, MD, MMSc, assistant professor of medicine in the…
Osteoporosis Screening Is Underutilized Despite Recommendations
For years, guidelines from various organizations have recommended osteoporosis screening in women and men starting at a specific age or based on specific risk factors. Among these guidelines are those developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that recommend universal osteoporosis screening for women 65 years of age and older and for targeted…
Advancements in Diagnosis, Treatment for Antiphospholipid Syndrome
CHICAGO—Doruk Erkan, MD, MPH, a rheumatologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City, described recent developments in the field of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) to the rheumatologists gathered for the ACR’s State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium in April. He introduced APS as a “field with limited data and lots of controversies,” although,…
How to Appropriately Discharge a Patient to Avoid Abandonment, Medical Malpractice
Are you a physician with a patient who no longer requires medical treatment? Do you have a patient you believe would be better served by another physician, specialist or practice due to a developing condition? Do you want to terminate a patient relationship because it is costing more than it is worth to your practice?…
The ACR Asks Congress to Dedicate Arthritis Research Funding to Help Military Service Members
In 2016, the ACR and the Arthritis Foundation teamed up to direct $20 million within the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) to arthritis treatment and prevention. The CDMRP has millions of research dollars that have not been committed to specific items. In the new appropriations cycle, we are once again…
Prescription-Drug Monitoring Saves Lives, Could Save More
(Reuters Health)—State programs that monitor narcotic prescriptions help prevent 10 opioid-overdose deaths a day in the U.S., yet improvements could save another two people a day, a new study finds. States with the most robust programs—ones that tracked a greater number of potentially addictive medications and updated their databases at least weekly—saw the biggest drops…