Patient-reported symptoms are associated with clinically impactful changes in systemic sclerosis( SSc ) disease activity, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research. “Quantifying disease activity in systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains challenging due to the complex etiopathogenesis of the disease; and a disease course that lacks clear clinical relapses; and validated measures of various…
Longer disease duration and a greater number of previous DMARDs in a patient’s history; associated with decreased response rates to adalimumab plus methotrexate among patients with rheumatoid arthritis; according to data published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. A delay in initiating disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can negatively affect long-term outcomes; and associated with greater…
A new Curtin University-led paper has outlined that many people living with knee osteoarthritis; needlessly suffering or receiving the wrong treatments for their symptoms, recommending a major change in how osteoarthritis is understood and treat. The paper, publish in the British Journal of Sports Medicine; conclude that people with osteoarthritis are often provide potentially risky…
Video telemedicine, when it is offered, is more likely to be used by patients with rheumatoid arthritis who demonstrate higher disease activity, have more positive perceptions of the technology and whose physicians have used it more often, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research. “Telemedicine is increasingly incorporate into the clinical practice of rheumatology,” Elizabeth D.…
New classification criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) represent a “paradigm shift” in how the disease is diagnosed and studied, the developers say. “The new criteria provide a simple, directed and highly accurate method for classifying SLE,” Dr. Sindhu Johnson from…
Nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists should be knowledgeable about the clinical features; and diagnostic procedures of common rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, as well as provide advice on pharmacologic and surgical treatments; according to new EULAR recommendations published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. “Health professionals in rheumatology (HPRs) play an important role in…
Among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis, the presence of hypertension or preeclampsia accounts for approximately 10% to 33% of the excess risk for preterm birth, caesarean delivery and small for gestational age, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research. “There have been several studies in the past few years that have reported…
The combination of methotrexate with TNF inhibitors or non-TNF biologics provides better outcomes than methotrexate monotherapy in adults with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new systematic review and network meta-analysis. “This study lends support to the use of early combination therapy in patients with moderate to severe disease who do not have an…
Alcohol consumption is significantly associated with spinal structural progression in patients with axial spondyloarthritis, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy. “Limited information is known about the relation between alcohol consumption and inflammatory arthritis,” Seung-Ki Kwok. “A recent meta-analysis revealed that low to moderate alcohol consumption had a preventive effect on developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA).…
A new study provides evidence that antibiotic usage is associated with an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers from Keele University and the Quadram Institute analyzed data from primary care medical records. They found that the odds of developing rheumatoid arthritis; were 60% higher in those exposed to antibiotics than in those not exposed.…
Chip which is of the coin size in which cartilage is cultivated; and later subjected to mechanical stress so that it produces the effects of osteoarthritis (OA). Such an extraordinary result is achieved at the Politecnico di Milano Laboratory MiMic (Microfluidic and Biomimetic Microsystems); by Marco Rasponi from the Milan-based campus, the study’s coordinator alongside…
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease affecting more than 1 million people in the United States. It characterized by joint inflammation, which can lead to progressive bone erosion, joint damage, and disability. Current guidelines recommend early treatment for RA patients, with the goal of remission. “Early” is usually defined as the first year of the…