Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Tocilizumab Fails to Help COVID-19 Patients in Italian Study

Emilio Parodi & Carl O'Donnell  |  

(Reuters)—Roche’s rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra (tocilizumab) failed to help patients with early-stage COVID-19 pneumonia in an Italian study, the latest instance in which an anti-inflammatory drug has fallen through in a coronavirus trial. Despite the setback, the Swiss drugmaker said that it is pressing ahead with testing tocilizumab in another trial against COVID-19, the disease…

Respiratory Failure More Common in COVID-19 Patients with Rheumatic Disease

Marilynn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—COVID-19-infected patients with rheumatic disease were more likely to experience respiratory failure than those without rheumatic disease, according to a retrospective study in China. “Immune dysregulation underlying rheumatic diseases may affect the disease manifestation of COVID-19,” Dr. Jixin Zhong of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, tells Reuters Health by email….

Some Rheumatic Diseases Tied to Higher Risk of Severe COVID-19

Megan Brooks  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Patients with some inflammatory rheumatic conditions are at higher risk for hospital-diagnosed COVID-19 infection compared with the general population, but it depends on the condition and therapy used to treat it, according to a study from Spain. It’s now clear that older patients and those with some common diseases are at increased…

More Evidence Links Pediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome to SARS-CoV-2

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Two new reports in JAMA strengthen the link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS). Pediatricians from several communities have reported children who developed fever and multisystem inflammation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some children were critically ill and some had characteristics similar to Kawasaki disease or Kawasaki disease shock syndrome….

After Hip Fracture, Earlier Osteoporosis Drug Initiation Tied to Lower Subsequent Fracture Risk

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Patients hospitalized for a hip fracture are less likely to experience a subsequent fracture-related hospitalization if they start anti-osteoporosis medication sooner, a Taiwanese study suggests.1 Researchers examined data on 77,930 patients aged 50 years and older hospitalized for hip fractures, including 9,986 people prescribed anti-osteoporosis medications within one year of the index fracture. Compared…

People with Rheumatic Diseases Should Pay Extra Attention to Self-Care During COVID-19

Carolyn Crist  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—People with rheumatic diseases should continue their medicines, monitor their health and avoid stress when possible during the current coronavirus pandemic, according to a group of rheumatologists in South Korea.1 Because rheumatic diseases are linked with chronic inflammation and abnormal immune functions, patients may be at a greater risk for COVID-19 infection,…