A study comparing seven biologic DMARDs in RA patients aged 65 years and older found abatacept had the highest retention rate and the lowest discontinuation rate…
The popularity of natural dietary supplements has grown worldwide, with many adults using them to manage musculoskeletal conditions. But for RA patients, little is known about the risk of side effects and potential adverse drug interactions when taking these supplements with standard RA therapies. New research examined the supplement use patterns of RA patients…
For RA patients, a low score on the patient global assessment of disease activity as measured by a visual analog scale (PGA-VAS) is necessary to confirm remission. However, limited patient health literacy combined with the complexity of the scale may result in discrepancies between the PGA-VAS and provider assessments of disease activity. New research examined the patient perspective on the PGA-VAS and its connections to health literacy and disease state…
Antibody-secreting cells are important for the pathophysiology of SLE and RA, but researchers have been unable to determine how these cells are activated. A new technique is able to distinguish between naïve autoreactive B cells and established antibody secreting cells…
Over the past decade, physicians, patients and policy makers have expressed increasing concern about the high frequency of opioids being prescribed and the association between opioid use and poor outcomes. Rates of opioid prescriptions in the general population rose considerably from the 1990s through 2010, with a plateau in the early 2010s. In 2015, 38%…
A post-hoc analysis of data from two large clinical trials supports treat-to-target recommendations for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The research found baseline disease activity was the strongest predictor of a patient’s insufficient response to initial therapy at six months…
Galectin-3 may have potential as a biomarker for the early onset of cardiovascular disease in RA patients, potentially enabling early intervention and deferring the cardiovascular risks associated with RA…
New research does not support the use of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided strategy for treating RA patients. The study found that among RA patients in remission, an MRI-guided treat-to-target strategy compared with a conventional treat-to-target strategy did not result in improved disease activity remission rates or reduced radiographic progression…