The high prevalence and significant burden of osteoarthritis (OA) are well known. But it’s becoming apparent that OA research efforts don’t necessarily match disease prevalence or disability. The International Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Consortium (IFOAC) is an international organization of volunteers that seeks to highlight a major and often overlooked problem in OA research—foot and…
The Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act would set a $98 floor for Medicare reimbursement for the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density test.
It is well known that hip fractures are associated with significant morbidity and mortality: Mortality increases 15–25% in the year following a hip fracture.1–5 We know that treating osteoÂporosis prevents fractures and improves patient survival. But is there a relationship beyond this? Several studies have found that bisphosphonate therapy is associated with a reduction in…
The ACR Review Course featured eight talks providing a practical review of issues encountered by rheumatologists.
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Bisphosphonates are an important treatment for millions of older Americans with osteoporosis because the drugs inhibit osteoclastic bone resorption to reduce the risk of painful, debilitating fractures.1 More than 20 years ago, data emerged that bisphosphonates have a long terminal half-life.2 So after years of therapy, could some patients take a drug holiday?…
ATLANTA—Osteoporosis in premenopausal women is uncommon compared with its frequency in post-menopausal women, but when it is suspected, it poses some difficult questions for clinicians: How should it be diagnosed in this understudied population? If found, should it be treated—and how? Elizabeth Shane, MD, professor of medicine at Columbia University and attending physician at New…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The osteoporosis drug denosumab is associated with a higher incidence of serious infections compared with placebo, but the risk is similar to comparator drugs, a systematic review and meta-analysis reveals. Talia Diker-Cohen, MD, PhD, of Tel Aviv University, and colleagues searched the literature through May 2019 for randomized controlled trials of denosumab…
Legislation introduced in both houses of Congress would set a minimum Medicare reimbursement of $98 for DXA bone density scans.
ATLANTA—Encouraging data on interleukin (IL) 23/IL-17 pathway drugs in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment and new evidence on physical activity and bone health in women were among the highlights of the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting’s Clinical Year in Review. Susan Manzi, MD, MPH, director of the Lupus Center for Excellence…
Broken hips are among the most serious injuries incurred by older adults, and many fractures are preventable. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 300,000 people over the age of 65 are hospitalized each year for hip fractures, with women (who have lower bone density than men) experiencing three-quarters of all…