NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Mortality rates in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) decreased from 1999 to 2017, according to records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “The mortality attributed to several rare diseases [e.g., hypersensitivity pneumonitis] has increased in recent years,” Alexander W. Steinberg, MD, from Saint Joseph Hospital, Denver, tells…
Study Reveals Lupus Is a Leading Cause of Death in U.S. Women
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a leading cause of death among young women, according to an August 2018 study in Arthritis & Rheumatology.1 To help determine where SLE ranks among causes of death, Eric Y. Yen, MD, and Ram Raj Singh, MD, conducted a population-based study using nationwide mortality counts for all female residents of…
A 46-Year Study Traces the Lupus Death Rate from 1968–2013
A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine in December 2017 looked at trends in lupus mortality over a 46-year period. The researchers say they set out to close some knowledge gaps. “There [was] a knowledge gap relating to the large differences we see in death rates from one study to another, which could have…
Weight Change in Early RA & the Risk of Mortality
Sparks et al set out to investigate whether weight change during the early RA period is associated with subsequent mortality and to evaluate whether there is an RA-specific effect. They investigated weight change during the early RA period, because this is the window of time during which weight change is most likely to be related to RA-specific processes. They found that severe weight loss during the early RA period was associated with a subsequent increased mortality risk both for women with and without RA…
CVS to Make Overdose Drug Naloxone Prescription-Free in Ohio
(Reuters)—CVS Health Corp said it would make naloxone, available without a prescription at all its pharmacies across Ohio, a state with one of the highest rates of overdose-related deaths. Naloxone is already available without a prescription in CVS Health stores in more than a dozen states. Drug overdoses increased 6.5% in 2014 from a year…
Healthcare Improving for Older Americans
(Reuters Health)—The number of deaths, hospital stays and healthcare costs decreased among older Americans on Medicare over the past 15 years, according to a new study. “Although our health care system has its failings, we are making remarkable progress,” said Dr. Harlan Krumholz, the study’s lead author from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. “People…
Mortality Rates Improve for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Emerging research suggests patients with RA are living longer, bolsters support for early aggressive treatment of RA