Reproductive health, biosimilars, IgG4-related disease and much more—five speakers give us a sneak peek into important topics being addressed at the ACR’s 2025 State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium, April 4–6.
Plan Ahead: Clinical Tips for Managing Reproductive Health in Patients with Rheumatic Disease
Dr. May Ching Soh highlighted practical approaches when caring for pregnant patients with rheumatic disease.
Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients Treated with TNF Inhibitors
A study found the continuation of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) treatment in patients with chronic rheumatic inflammatory diseases after pregnancy diagnosis was not associated with worse outcomes than those who discontinued treatment with TNFi’s.
Rheumatologists Can Guide Patients During Pregnancy, Family Planning
Rheumatologists should take an active role in patients’ reproductive health, including before, during and after pregnancy. Two experts offer insights into how rheumatologists can better care for their patients during these critical times.
Overcome Fear & Misinformation: Solutions for Women with Inflammatory Arthritis Considering Pregnancy
Many women with inflammatory arthritis stop filling prescriptions for medications to treat their disease during pregnancy, putting themselves at risk of disability and joint damage. Birru Talabi et al. examined why, finding that some women discontinue their medications out of fear, while others receive conflicting advice from providers or misinformation about medication safety.
Pre-Eclampsia Risk & Rheumatic Disease
Secher et al. evaluated the risk of pre-eclampsia in pregnant patients with RA, axSpA or PsA, assessing the effect of disease activity and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs on this risk.
Is Hydroxychloroquine Safe During Pregnancy?
Chambers et al. found no evidence of an increased risk of major structural birth defects nor any increase in a wide range of other pregnancy outcomes attributable to prenatal exposure to hydroxychloroquine.
TNF Inhibitors & Pregnancy: How Well Does the Treatment Guidance Work?
Ghalandari et al. sought to validate the guidance outlined by EULAR for the use of anti-rheumatic drugs during pregnancy, finding that following its guidance for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors led to no or low concentrations of these agents in cord blood.
Modern Treatment Tied to Low Disease Activity in Pregnant RA Patients
(Reuters Health)—Many pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may achieve low disease activity in the third trimester with a modern treatment regimen that includes anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) medications, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 309 patients with RA who were pregnant or trying to conceive and who were treated with modern treat-to-target…
Hope for Live Births in Women with Antiphospholipid Syndrome
For women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), treatment with a combination of heparin and aspirin during pregnancy—rather than aspirin alone—may increase live birth rates, according to new research.