Updated EULAR recommendations guide treatment decisions for rheumatoid arthritis

First published in 2010, the EULAR recommendations for the management of RA, the most frequent inflammatory rheumatic disease, have been relied upon by healthcare professionals and organisations worldwide to offer an up-to-date and robust analysis of the effectiveness and practical use of available DMARDs – from conventional agents such as methotrexate to biologics and Janus … Read more

Targeted PET/CT tracer improves early prediction of treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis patients

A new targeted PET/CT tracer can detect treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis patients in as little as four weeks, and potentially even at the start of treatment, according to new research published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Compared to the three to six months currently required to establish treatment efficacy, this new imaging technique could … Read more

Early treatment delays rheumatoid arthritis onset in high-risk individuals

Treating people who are at high risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can delay the onset of the disease for several years, with benefits also continuing well after treatment has stopped. The trial showed that one year of treatment with the drug abatacept, a biologic therapy that targets immune cell activation, reduced progression to rheumatoid arthritis … Read more

Transfusion Strategies Show No QOL Improvement in Anemia Patients

Micah T. Prochaska, MD, MSc | Image Credit: University of Chicago School of Medicine A recent secondary analysis of data from the Myocardial Ischemia and Transfusion (MINT) trial has found no difference in quality of life (QOL) outcomes between liberal versus restrictive transfusion strategies in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and anemia.1 Thanks to advances … Read more

More expectant mothers begin pregnancy with autoimmune conditions

Thousands more UK women who are having children have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition now compared to the beginning of the millennium. In a paper published in Lancet Rheumatology today, researchers involved in the MuM-PreDiCT project run by the University of Birmingham and funded by the Medical Research Council have found that there has … Read more

Secukinumab Demonstrates Long-Term Safety for Psoriasis and PsA

New findings from a real-world study has demonstrated long-term safety of secukinumab in people with psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).1 “Patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as PsO, PsA and AS, require prolonged treatment and are more susceptible to developing AEs as observed in clinical studies and case reports. Therefore, there … Read more

Breakthrough study finds genes behind calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease

In a first-of-its-kind genome-wide association study (GWAS) researchers have discovered two genes, RNF144B and ENPP1, that cause calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease in Americans of European and African descent. This crystalline arthritis is caused by calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) crystal deposition in joints. The findings of this novel study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, … Read more

Advanced Treatments and Collaborative Care Closer to Home

Nicholas Todhunter, DO Credit: AHN The neuroscience program at AHN Saint Vincent Hospital plays a vital role in providing advanced neurological care to patients in the Erie region — reducing the need to travel to a major city for many conditions. Without this local access, many would face delays in receiving life-saving or quality-of-life-enhancing treatment. … Read more

Lower Blood Pressure May Offer Benefits Even for the Very Elderly

Adults aged 80 and older experience the highest prevalence of cardiovascular disease, yet the optimal blood pressure targets for this group have been unclear in clinical guidelines. Now, a new study from Yale School of Medicine (YSM) suggests that intensive blood pressure management may offer important benefits for very elderly patients. As the American population … Read more

Arthritis Precedes Psoriasis More Often Than Expected

Hannah Y. Gantz Credit: Linkedin New research has found that symptoms of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) often precede psoriasis (PsO) development and psoriasis skin lesions.1 “PsA occurs in about 30% of patients with PsO, and an additional 5%–15% of psoriasis patients may have undiagnosed PsA. The current dogma is that PsO skin lesions generally occur before … Read more