Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is a rare condition caused by eosinophilic infiltration of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The condition is subdivided into the GI layers it affects: mucosal, muscular and subserosal.1 EGE usually presents with non-specific GI symptoms, such as impaired motility, intestinal obstruction and, rarely, ascites.2 Below, we report a rare case of EGE leading…
A study comparing seven biologic DMARDs in RA patients aged 65 years and older found abatacept had the highest retention rate and the lowest discontinuation rate…
The popularity of natural dietary supplements has grown worldwide, with many adults using them to manage musculoskeletal conditions. But for RA patients, little is known about the risk of side effects and potential adverse drug interactions when taking these supplements with standard RA therapies. New research examined the supplement use patterns of RA patients…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Monotherapy with the JAK1-selective inhibitor upadacitinib is effective in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis who have an inadequate response to methotrexate, according to results from the SELECT-MONOTHERAPY phase 3 trial. As many as two-thirds of patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving methotrexate monotherapy fail to achieve satisfactory disease control. Oral therapy with upadacitinib…
At the time of total joint arthroplasty, RA disease activity has been shown to better predict postoperative flare than medication management…
SNOWMASS VILLAGE, COLO.—Even in the era of treat to target, cardiovascular disease risk remains elevated and is a major source of mortality and morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Screening and management of cardiovascular risk in these patients is critical to ensure these patients are identified and treated. At the 2019 ACR Winter Rheumatology…
At least 6% of patients who used biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) suffered refractory disease, according to a recent study based on data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Registry for Rheumatoid Arthritis.1 This observational study evaluated the extent of biologic refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study defined biologic refractory disease as occurring in…
The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) was launched in 2014 as a public-private partnership to spur development of new therapeutic options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Five years in, this unprecedented public-private effort is achieving its major milestones and yielding tools to accelerate potential new drug discoveries. The Rheumatology Research Foundation is…
For RA patients, a low score on the patient global assessment of disease activity as measured by a visual analog scale (PGA-VAS) is necessary to confirm remission. However, limited patient health literacy combined with the complexity of the scale may result in discrepancies between the PGA-VAS and provider assessments of disease activity. New research examined the patient perspective on the PGA-VAS and its connections to health literacy and disease state…
Antibody-secreting cells are important for the pathophysiology of SLE and RA, but researchers have been unable to determine how these cells are activated. A new technique is able to distinguish between naïve autoreactive B cells and established antibody secreting cells…