Exclusive: ACR Convergence 2024| Focus Rheums

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

Conditions

Subcategories:Axial SpondyloarthritisGout and Crystalline ArthritisGuidelinesMyositisOsteoarthritis and Bone DisordersOther Rheumatic ConditionsPain SyndromesPediatric ConditionsPsoriatic ArthritisRheumatoid ArthritisSjögren’s DiseaseSoft Tissue PainSystemic Lupus ErythematosusSystemic SclerosisVasculitis

RA Treatments Show Mixed Results

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Highlights from the 2017 EULAR Congress MADRID—The anti-IL6 “nanobody,” vobarilizumab, produced mixed results when used with methotrexate (MTX), compared with MTX and placebo, according to results of a 24-week, double-blind Phase 2b study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which were presented in an abstract session at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR). The…

ARHP Clinical Focus Course Targets Management of Adults with SLE

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This year the ARHP Clinical Focus Course brings together experts in the field to provide an interprofessional approach to the management of systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE) to improve patient outcomes. The daylong course, titled Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Taming the Wolf—Salient Lessons from Practice and Research, which is offered on Nov. 4, will provide a case-based…

Biophoto Associates / Science Source

A Stiff Man: A Case Study in Ankylosing Spondylitis

Charles Radis, DO  |  

First Appearances I watched the old man, his back painfully bent, shuffle toward the scale. A blocky rigidity draped over him. His feet seemed stuck to the floor. His head hung heavily over his chest. Observing him from the end of the hallway, instead of a face, I saw only a mound of shaggy, matted…

Molecular Differences Between Pediatric & Adult Psoriasis Plaques

Marilynn Larkin  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The pathology of pediatric psoriasis differs from that of adult psoriasis, a finding that has implications for treatment, researchers suggest. “Pediatric psoriasis often differs from adult psoriasis in presentation, triggers, natural history, and response to therapy, suggesting potential differences in the pathophysiology of the disease processes,” Dr. Kelly Cordoro of the University…

Vitamin D May Improve Outcomes for Patients with Early RA

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A recent study examined the differences in T helper cell subtypes and osteoclast precursors between patients with early RA and healthy controls. Researchers found that standard treatment combined with a single dose of cholecalcipherol may better improve the general health of patients…

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…

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

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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…