This article discusses 10 expert tips for mitigating dry mouth, a common symptom of Sjögren’s disease & other rheumatic conditions.
It’s Not Just Joint Pain
Experts offered perspectives on how symptoms of rheumatic disease, such as fatigue, affect the physical, cognitive and emotional health of patients and offered solutions.
Studies Examine Peripheral Nervous System Disease in Lupus Patients
Although systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS), past research has primarily focused on how lupus affects the CNS. Now, an international, inception cohort study, “Peripheral Nervous System Disease in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus,” published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, has examined different types of PNS disease to…
3 Tips to Optimize Practice Performance
Rheumatologists can build resilience through recovery and reframing, transforming stress so that it enhances performance…
Help Your Patients Live Well with Rheumatic Disease
As rheumatology professionals, we focus on how to achieve better outcomes for our patients: lower disease activity, remission, milder symptoms and prevention of joint damage or serious complications, such as heart disease. Another outcome is just as important: good quality of life. What can we do to engage our current patients and those at risk…
Blacks in U.S. Lose Quality of Life Due to Fewer Knee Replacements
(Reuters Health)—Black people with knee osteoarthritis may have a worse quality of life than white patients in part because they’re less likely to be offered knee replacement surgery or to get the procedure when it’s recommended, a U.S. study suggests. Knee replacement surgery has the potential to greatly relieve suffering from severe joint pain that…
Service Dogs Aid RA Patients with Mobility, Chores, Companionship & More
Patients with severe RA can struggle with walking, getting dressed, carrying items and more, all of which can negatively affect their quality of life. But according to Bharat Kumar, MD, service dogs can help RA patients by providing both physical and emotional support, aiding patient mobility and quality of life…
Experts Discuss Rheumatologists’ Role in Treating Depression, Anxiety and Psychological Comorbidities in Their Patients
All rheumatologists have observed the impact of their patients’ mental health status on the long-term treatment of rheumatologic conditions. Depression, anxiety and even loneliness can lead to poor clinical outcomes and nonadherence to treatment, whether the patient is following medication regimens or participating in regular exercise. On the other hand, a patient’s resilience and positive…
How Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Affects Patients, Families
After having had juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) for 20 years, I had a moment in my journey when I realized something new: “Your arthritis doesn’t just affect you, you know,” my sister said. This statement stopped me in my achy tracks. For two decades, I had been operating under the assumption that JIA was my…
Treating Uveitis with Adalimumab Improves Quality of Life
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Treatment of uveitis with adalimumab is linked with “clinically meaningful” differences in quality of life compared with treatment with placebo, new research shows. Dr. John Sheppard of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va., tells Reuters Health, “Regardless of underlying etiology or lack thereof, uveitis can have a profoundly adverse effect upon…