Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Sports Doctors May Accidentally Prescribe Banned Steroids

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Sports physicians routinely prescribe corticosteroids to athletes for conditions, such as inflammation, asthma and allergies, but not all of them know which forms of these drugs are banned under anti-doping rules, a study suggests. The survey of 603 physicians from 30 countries found four in five prescribe oral corticosteroids to athletes, one of the…

China Approves Use of Tocilizumab for Coronavirus Patients

Reuters Staff  |  

BEIJING (Reuters)—China will use a Roche Holding AG arthritis drug to treat some coronavirus patients in severe conditions, health authorities said on Wednesday, as the country seeks to build up treatment regimens to help the infected recover. Tocilizumab, sold by the Swiss pharma giant under the trade name Actemra, can be prescribed to coronavirus patients…

Epidemiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis May Be Changing

Will Boggs, MD  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)’Over the last three decades, there has been a significant decline in the incidence of rheumatoid factor (RF) positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), while the overall incidence of RA has remained about the same, researchers report. “These trends may suggest changing serological profile of RA over time which may have implications for RA…

A Combined Immunosuppressive Regimen for ILD MDA5-Positive Dermatomyositis

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Interstitial lung disease accompanied by anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 positive dermatomyositis is often rapidly progressive and associated with poor prognosis. In this study, a combined immunosuppressive regimen of high-dose glucocorticoids, tacrolimus and intravenous cyclophosphamide proved more effective than treatment with high-dose glucocorticoids and stepwise addition of an immunosuppressant in a historical control group.