Lower HCQ Serum Levels Associated with SLE Flare, Damage & Mortality Background & Objectives: Nguyen et al. set out to assess the consequences of severe non-adherence to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) by measuring hydroxychloroquine serum levels, risks of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) flares, damage and mortality over five years of follow-up. Methods: The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus International…
Materne et al. aimed to compare the risk of infection among patients with non-renal SLE using the injectable immunosuppressant belimumab vs. an oral immunosuppressant, azathioprine, mycophenolate or methotrexate.
The accepted wisdom is that the negative effects of glucocorticoids on bone depend on the dose and treatment duration. Adami et al. conducted this study to determine, in a real-life setting, the risk of fragility fracture associated with the dose of glucocorticoids in patients with inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal diseases.
Marchand et al. sought to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and hip osteoarthritis (OA) in women. By analyzing data from the Nurses’ Health Study cohort in the U.S., the researchers concluded that an association may be observed between higher alcohol consumption and greater incidence of total hip replacement due to OA.
Using data from the U.K.’s Health Improvement Network, a primary care database, Wei et al. examined whether urate-lowering therapy (ULT) in a treat-to-target approach for patients with gout reduces the risk of fracture.
We were sad to learn that Rodanthi C. Kitridou, MD, MACR, passed away July 6, 2023, after a long illness. Dr. Kitridou was the longtime director of clinical rheumatology at at LAC/USC Medical Center in Los Angeles.
In a dose-finding, clinical trial, Terkeltaub et al. examined the safety and efficacy of tigulixostat, a nonpurine xanthine oxidase inhibitor, for lowering the serum urate levels of patients with gout and hyperuricemia.
Past studies have suggested that patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who consume a moderate amount of alcohol may experience lower disease activity and higher quality of life than non-drinkers. In this study, Alfredsson, et al. confirmed earlier studies’ claims that alcohol consumption reduces disease activity in a dose-dependent manner, and also indicated that patients who stopped drinking post-baseline experienced worsened disease activity, more pain and a lower quality of life.
Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, likes to fix things, and the dynamic and challenging field of rheumatology always has room for improvement. That mindset has led her down some interesting paths as a researcher and healthcare provider, and as vice president of the Rheumatology Research Foundation. Dr. Fraenkel was a rheumatologist and researcher at the Yale…
In a study, El Bannoudi et al. found that platelets contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE by secreting the proinflammatory platelet-associated lectin, galactoside-binding, soluble 3 binding protein (LGALS3BP), which also represents a novel biomarker of SLE clinical activity.