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

High-Spending Doctors Are Less Likely to Be Sued

Andrew M. Seaman  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Providing more care than necessary may work to lower a doctor’s risk of being accused of malpractice, suggests a new U.S. study. Although the results can’t prove extra expenditures are due to defensive medicine, the researchers found that doctors in Florida who provided the most costly care between 2000 and 2009 were…

Methotrexate Increases Risk of Recurrent Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Methotrexate appears to increase the risk of recurrent nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a retrospective study. “We have known for some time that several of the immunosuppressive agents used to treat RA and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are also associated with an increased risk of…

RA Patients on DMARDs Have Higher Risk of Infection

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Preventing infection in patients with RA should be a consideration for rheumatologists prescribing disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs after a Swedish study found patients on these therapies have a 6.1% risk of developing serious infection.

Online Tool Helps RA Patients Make Informed Decisions

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Should you escalate care to a biologic? Many RA patients find this decision difficult and may need extra support and education to come to an informed decision. A recent study on this issue tested the value of a Web-based interactive decision support tool, which was developed with patient and physician input. After eight weeks, patients using the tool showed a measurable increase in the objective and subjective knowledge needed for making an informed decision compared with standard care…

Adverse Events More Common with Off-Label Drug Use

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Adverse drug events (ADEs) are more common when drugs are used off label, especially when the off-label use lacks strong scientific evidence, researchers from Canada report. “Our study demonstrated that physicians need to be cautious in prescribing off-label when there is a lack of strong scientific evidence for the use of the…

Genetic Data Suggest Dividing IBD into 3 Forms

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Data from a genetic association study suggest that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) should be divided into a three-group continuum, rather than the current division between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. “The current clinical classifications of IBD, while important and useful, are a simplification of the true biological variation of this disease,” Dr….

CD64 May Be an RA-Specific Biomarker

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A new study found patients with early RA had increased membrane and soluble CD64. After receiving anti-rheumatic therapy, patients’ symptoms and CD64 levels decreased, suggesting CD64 is an RA biomarker…

Rectosigmoidoscopy vs. Colonoscopy for Assessing Ulcerative Colitis Activity

Reuters Health  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In most cases, rectosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy assessments of disease activity in ulcerative colitis yield the same results, researchers report. “In clinical practice, rectosigmoidoscopy is enough to assess endoscopic activity and endoscopic healing,” Dr. Jean-Frédéric Colombel from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, N.Y., told Reuters Health by email. Dr. Colombel and…