Editor’s note: What research on psoriatic arthritis (PsA) presented at ACR Convergence 2024 has the greatest potential for a positive impact on clinical care, treatment options or serve as the basis for future research? That’s the question The Rheumatologist asked David S. Pisetsky, MD, PhD—our founding editor—to consider. With thousands of research abstracts presented at the…
Cardiovascular Safety with RA Treatments
Research by Chicre et al. found that Janus kinase inhibitors may significantly increase the risk of major adverse cardiac events and all-cause death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when compared with other RA treatments. This study highlights the need for more comparative safety studies.
Study Finds Potential Biomarkers for Cardiovascular Risk in Women with Lupus
When it comes to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and cardiovascular events (CVEs), the rheumatology community is woefully lacking in information, say researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Their recent work on biomarkers associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events in women with…
HCQ/CQ May Increase the Risk of Cardiovascular Events
A special article in the December issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology summarizes the current understanding of the cardiac toxicity of HCQ and CQ.
Age-Related Blood Pressue Patterns in Lupus
Rheumatologists should not be falsely reassured by a normal mean blood pressure in lupus patients, according to a study from Johns Hopkins University that found age-related blood pressure patterns in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) differ from the general population and that increased diastolic blood pressure variability (BPV) is highly associated with cardiovascular events in SLE.1…
For Psoriasis, Ustekinumab & TNF Inhibitors Show Similar Cardiac Safety
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—In patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the incidence of atrial fibrillation and major adverse cardiovascular events does not differ between treatment with ustekinumab and TNF inhibitors, according to a large observational study. “Given a high cardiovascular risk among patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis,” Seoyoung C. Kim, MD, ScD, MSCE, told…
Newly Diagnosed SLE Patients Have a Greater Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
New research has examined the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke, for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large-scale population-based study. Researchers found that patients with SLE have a greater than two-fold increased risk of developing CVD. This risk is greatest during the first year after diagnosis and remains elevated for at least five years…
Combo Drug for Arthritis & Hypertension Meets Goal in Phase 3 Study
(Reuters)—Kitov Pharmaceuticals Holdings Ltd. said on Tuesday its lead drug, KIT-302, met the main goal of a late-stage study, reducing pain without increasing the risk of heart diseases in patients with osteoarthritis. Israel-based Kitov says its drug does not need to be labeled with health warnings, but will instead say it reduces the risk of…
Tech Talk: HealthPatch MD Latest in Wearable Health Devices
HealthPatch, Body Guardian, other wearable cardiac monitors could be considered for wider use among patients with rheumatoid arthritis