New research finds patients previously treated with antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals may be more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than patients who have not received these treatments…
Ultrasound Aids Diagnosis of Man with Knee Pain & Swelling
A 56-year-old automobile mechanic was referred to our rheumatology service by his orthopedist to evaluate left posterior knee pain and swelling that had been present for three months. The patient had undergone bilateral total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) for sports-related osteoarthritis three years before. In addition to the knee pain, the patient described several years of…
Case Report: Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Restrictive Pericarditis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects approximately 1% of the adult population, and involvement of extra-articular tissue occurs in approximately 40% of patients over their lifetimes.1 RA-associated pericardial disease is an uncommon complication, and surgery is the only definitive therapy—according to current literature. In this report, we present the case of…
Physical Activity Reduces Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis
A recent study has taken a more detailed look at the relationship between physical activity and the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers found the more patients exercised weekly the lower their overall risk, specifically brisk and very brisk walking paces, along with longer cumulative average walking hours weekly were associated with a reduced risk for RA…
Insights into Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
MADRID—Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is among the most common autoimmune diseases in the U.S., affecting approximately 1.3 million U.S. adults.1 Although tremendous treatment advances have been made in recent years, one extra-articular manifestation of RA that continues to pose a challenge with regard to detection and management is interstitial lung disease (ILD). At the 2019 European…
Case Report: Cardiac Tamponade in a Rheumatoid Arthritis Patient
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease. Although RA develops its central pathology within the synovium of diarthrodial joints, many non-articular organs can be involved, particularly in patients with severe joint disease.1 Although most patients are asymptomatic, cardiac involvement is relatively common and includes rheumatic heart nodules, pericarditis (30–50%), pericardial effusion and…
New Options for Treatment-Resistant RA
Two JAK inhibitors, one recently approved by the FDA, have shown improvements in patients with active RA for whom other therapies have proved ineffective…
Probing the Role of Genes & Microbiome in Ankylosing Spondylitis & RA
Researchers know human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules affect susceptibility to disease in general, and immunological disease in particular. In the case of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the risk is primarily associated with HLA-B27, with smaller effects from other HLA alleles. Current thinking is that AS is caused by the presence of a genetically primed host because…
Study Finds Chronic Opioid Use Doubled in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
The prevalence of chronic opioid use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doubled between 2002 and 2015, especially among patients with severe pain or on antidepressants, according to a new study.1 The study adds to prior data reporting trends in chronic opioid use in RA patients.2,3 Severe pain was the strongest predictor for use of…
The Role of Autoreactive B Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis
The body uses B cells to produce antibodies that can fight off infection by invading antigens and bacteria. But in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the immune system produces autoantibodies that work against the body’s proteins to attack joint tissues. Researchers believe this process is helped along by autoreactive B cells that live in bone matter and…
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