For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who respond to subcutaneous tocilizumab, discontinuing methotrexate may be an option and offer an alternative to patients who cannot tolerate or prefer not to take methotrexate. “This is one of the first studies showing that methotrexate may be discontinued in a cohort of patients with a biologic agent without…
AMSTERDAM—With new therapies coming into the marketplace, researchers are working to tease out the risk of infection for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Existing data suggest the risk of infections—even fatal ones—is real. But over time, improvements have taken hold, particularly for tuberculosis, according to an infectious disease expert at EULAR: the Annual European Congress of…
Chikungunya is among a group of 16 diseases transmitted through mosquito, tick or flea bites that is of increasing public health concern in the U.S. Although few rheumatologists are likely to diagnose patients with the acute phase of the disease, they may encounter a handful of patients each year who complain of persistent, and often…
Honestly, I’m not sure why I bothered to listen. I was in my kitchen, early on a Saturday morning, with the radio keeping me company. It started with the news and the usual litany of tragedies, both major and minor, that comprise such programs. The news gradually faded into other programming, which I can no…
Due to a range of factors, determining the precise infection risk posed by new biologic therapies to RA patients is difficult. But progress has been made and health registries may be helpful, said Olivier Lortholary, MD, PhD, during the 2018 EULAR: Annual European Congress of Rheumatology…
Can principles from engineering provide a broader understanding of how the human skeleton works and be used to help prevent a common and often consequential event for people as they age—bone fractures? Research from a team of investigators that includes orthopedic surgeons and mechanical engineers suggests that, yes, looking at how engineered materials, such as…
CHICAGO—As Eric Ruderman, MD, professor of medicine in rheumatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, began his talk on psoriatic arthritis treatment at the ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium in April, he marveled a bit at how much there was to cover. Drugs gaining prominence in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and dermatological…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Effective pharmacotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not associated with meaningful improvements in mental health, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. “We were surprised by the small effect sizes for mental-health outcomes across all of the treatments included in this review, but particularly for the anti-TNF versus disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)…
New research is translating the molecular signals in RA patients to better understand the earliest signs of disease. The work on using these signs to test the effects of RA treatment may help rheumatologists determine the most effective treatment for individuals…
This past June, a 64-year-old man with a history of psoriatic arthritis and severe arthritis appeared at our clinic for his regular follow-up with concerns about a letter from his insurance company. The letter stated the company wouldn’t pay for the patient’s secukinumab (i.e., Cosentyx) prescription anymore and suggested he take ixekizumab (i.e., Taltz) instead,…