Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Changes in BMI Associated with Improvements in Disease Activity & Glucocorticoid Treatment

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

A recent study examined the relationship between increased BMI and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitis treatment with glucocorticoids. The results: Weight gain was independently associated with reductions in disease activity, increased glucocorticoid exposure and randomization to rituximab. The most significant increases in BMI occurred during the first six months of treatment, and newly diagnosed patients were more likely to experience an increase in BMI…

Being Active May Reduce Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain

Shereen Lehman  |  

(Reuters Health)—Regularly engaging in physical activity, from walking to intense exercise, may help to reduce the risk of chronic low back pain by, as much as 16%, according to a new review of previous studies. In the past, it hasn’t been clear whether physical activity staves off low back pain, or people without back pain…

U.S. Senate Health Bill Would Decimate Long-Term Care Coverage

Mark Miller  |  

CHICAGO (Reuters)—When Americans think about retirement planning, long-term care usually is a major blind spot – few of us want to contemplate the possibility of infirmity and dependency in old age. But we would do well to think about it now, as the Senate Republicans take a holiday weekend pause in their push to dismantle…

Stripping Americans of Health Insurance Could Be Deadly

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—Health insurance saves lives—that’s the conclusion of a report released on Monday, just in time to weigh into the debate among Senate Republicans considering a bill that could strip millions of Americans of coverage. “Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that lack of insurance is sometimes deadly,” co-author Dr. David Himmelstein, a professor at the City…

U.S. Republican Leaders in Fierce Push for Senate Healthcare Vote

Susan Cornwell & Richard Cowan  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—Republican leaders were in a fierce push on Tuesday to shore up support for a healthcare bill in the U.S. Senate after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said 22 million Americans would lose insurance over the next decade under the measure. Vice President Mike Pence is expected to travel to Capitol Hill on Tuesday…

Rituximab for Fatigue & Oral Dryness in Primary Sjögren’s Syndrome

  |  

These researchers investigated whether rituximab, an anti-B cell therapy, improves symptoms of fatigue and oral dryness in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial included a health economic analysis. There were no significant improvements in any outcome measure with rituximab except for unstimulated salivary flow. The study concludes that rituximab is neither clinically effective nor cost effective in this patient population…

ACR: Senate Healthcare Bill Falls Short of Protecting Americans Living with Rheumatic Diseases

Sharad Lakhanpal, MBBS, MD
, ACR President   |  

The American College of Rheumatology has always stood for affordable and accessible healthcare coverage for the 54 million Americans living with rheumatic diseases. We are concerned the discussion draft of the Better Care Reconciliation Act introduced by Senate leadership this morning falls short of that goal. We stand ready to work with the Senate leadership…