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

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

RA Choice: A Tool to Improve Patient Literacy

Arthritis Care & Research  |  

Doctor-patient communication is critical for successfully treating rheumatoid arthritis. But a majority of RA patients report suboptimal shared decision making, sometimes due to language barriers, lack of time, limited health literacy and other factors. A recent pilot study sought to improve patient understanding and communication by employing an adapted medication guide and decision aid during clinical visits. Use of the tool, RA Choice, resulted in an increase in patient knowledge, and a majority of clinicians found it helpful…

Statin Use Tied to Lower Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Megan Brooks  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Statin use is associated with a lower risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially Crohn’s disease in older patients, new research suggests. “Prior studies have suggested that statins can decrease inflammation and may improve IBD in patients who already have the disease. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show…

Family History Biggest Predictor of Heart Attacks in People with Psoriasis

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—People with psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease, are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes when they have a family history of cardiovascular problems, a Danish study suggests. Psoriasis wasn’t associated with higher risk of heart attacks or strokes when people with the skin condition didn’t have a family history of cardiovascular disease,…

Arthritis Prevalence on the Rise, Creating Challenges for Healthcare System

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Updated projections suggest that arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation will remain large and growing problems for clinical and public health systems, which must plan and create policies and resources to address these future needs. By 2040, the number of U.S. adults with doctor-diagnosed arthritis is projected to increase 49% to 78.4 million. Can the healthcare system accommodate these projected increases? Not without changes. By 2025, the expected demand for rheumatologists is expected to exceed supply by 2,576 adult and 33 pediatric rheumatologists…

The Gut Microbiome Influences Postmenopausal Bone Loss

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Bone health has been successfully improved by using probiotics to influence the gut microbiome in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. New research has gained insight into this process, uncovering that sex steroid depletion increases gut permeability resulting in inflammation and pathology in mice. Treatment with probiotics also prevents this increase in gut permeability and bone loss associated with sex steroid depletion…

Doctors Blame Many Factors for Futile Care, Themselves Included

Randi Belisomo  |  

(Reuters Health)—Doctors who were asked about causes of inappropriate care at the end of life didn’t have to look far to place blame. They blamed themselves. Australian researchers interviewed 96 physicians from 10 medical specialties and asked them to describe situations when patients received end of life care that the doctors felt was inappropriate. Futile…