In clinical practice, many unknowns exist about how SLE affects the brain—particularly in children. To help these young children battling pediatric SLE, Andrea Knight, MD, MSCE, is examining how advanced neuroimaging techniques may uncover potential inflammatory and non-inflammatory mechanisms of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in lupus…
New research has examined the effect of obesity on inflammatory markers, specifically C-reactive protein (CRP) level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers found higher BMIs were associated with higher CRP levels in women both with and without RA, suggesting the phenomenon is related to adiposity and not an indication of disease activity. For men with RA, low BMI was associated with higher CRP levels, which proved to be RA-specific but not a direct causal effect of adiposity…
Subcutaneous belimumab has been approved in the EU to help treat patients with active autoantibody-positive SLE…
New research has found the sirtuin family of proteins may be a positive regulator of bone mass. In the study, pharmacological activation of SIRT1 in mice resulted in increased bone mass, suggesting the pharmacological activation of SIRT1 may protect against osteoporosis…
New research found women on bisphosphonate therapy who take a drug holiday experience a higher rate of hip fracture…
In a Year in Review session at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, Daniel Solomon, MD, MPH, highlighted the latest and most intriguing aspects of clinical research on rheumatic diseases from 2017. His discussion touched on medical therapy, genetics, the effects of bariatric surgery and diet, cancer risk and more…
(Reuters Health)—People with chronic inflammatory disorders, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), may have an increased risk of developing serious liver damage, a recent study suggests. These inflammatory disorders are often treated with methotrexate, a medication linked to an increased risk of liver disease. For the current study, researchers followed more than 1 million…
Managing weight loss through diet may help patients with rheumatic disease reduce inflammation. Here are some strategies on weight loss and eating for rheumatologists and patients…
Raynaud’s phenomenon in scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (SSc) is associated with significant discomfort and functional disability, especially in the presence of digital ulcers.1 Having lived with diffuse systemic sclerosis (dSSc) for nearly a decade, I can attest to this. It has been my experience that the hand pain and dysfunction in dSSc stems from Raynaud’s…
Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome, also known as Dobrin syndrome, is a rare oculo-renal inflammatory disease. It was first described in 1975 by American physician Robert Dobrin, MD.1 It manifests as acute interstitial nephritis and bilateral uveitis. In addition, patients often experience nonspecific systemic findings, such as fever, weight loss, malaise, myalgia and arthralgia. TINU…