All rheumatologists have observed the impact of their patients’ mental health status on the long-term treatment of rheumatologic conditions. Depression, anxiety and even loneliness can lead to poor clinical outcomes and nonadherence to treatment, whether the patient is following medication regimens or participating in regular exercise. On the other hand, a patient’s resilience and positive…
This year, Selena Gomez underwent a kidney transplant as a result of damage from living with lupus. But how can this celebrity story aid rheumatologists? Many see it as an opportunity to raise awareness or create a dialogue with primary care physicians. But for lupus patients, it can be a reminder for them to take control of their own wellbeing, according to rheumatologist Susan Manzi, MD, MPH…
RETRACTED Editor’s note: The study this article reported on was retracted by the researchers. Key aspects could not be replicated, and they said, “Most importantly, the findings from behaviour studies and sequencing of microglia isolated from 564Igi autoimmune mice as shown in Figs. 1a, b, d and 3a, b are not substantiated upon further analysis…
Preconception planning is essential to help women with autoimmune disease have optimal pregnancy outcomes. Unplanned pregnancy can also negatively impact disease course in some patients. Yet many rheumatologic patients of childbearing age do not receive adequate contraception or prepregnancy education and counseling. Rheumatologists must work collaboratively with other healthcare providers to make sure rheumatic patients…
To correctly address a problem, one must have a handle on its nuances—a clear understanding of what is linked and how. And thus far, when it comes to lupus, we haven’t reached the point of understanding those intricacies. Things are heading in the right direction, however, with two new studies that get us much closer…
MADRID—Researchers have found that systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is independently linked with bipolar disorder and say the findings point to a need for greater awareness of psychiatric problems in patients with SLE. In work led by investigators at Tel Aviv University in Israel and presented at the 2017 Annual European Congress on Rheumatology (EULAR), researchers…
CHICAGO—“Why do so many drugs fail in clinical trials?” asked Michael Brenner, MD, chief of rheumatology, immunology and allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. This question, previously posed by Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health, prompted a discussion among scientists and stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry. The conversation…
Researchers from the AMP RA/Lupus Network came together in June at the annual FOCIS meeting to share their progress as they perform a systematic molecular deconstruction of human diseases…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Racial and ethnic disparities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) incidence and prevalence are considerable, according to two new studies of data from California and Manhattan. “The most important finding of the population-based California and New York registries is the confirmation of the racial and ethnic disparities of SLE, with the highest incidence…
Despite the innovations of new biologics and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, a large unmet need remains for patients with rheumatic autoimmune disease. Treatment remains limited for many conditions, including for conditions with a dim prognosis, such as systemic sclerosis.1 One promising treatment avenue is hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Here, we provide background on HSCT for severe…