Lana Pine

Although effective therapies are crucial, adverse events, financial burden, and other factors make a "taper-to-target" approach appealing to both pediatric patients and their caregivers.

Although investigations have been performed on the association between inflammatory conditions and cardiovascular events, the effect of different conditions on cardiovascular diseases has not been analyzed on a large scale.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 27, 2022.

"This risk-to-benefit profile has a different connotation for patients because, although a therapy may improve certain aspects of their disease, it may also have a substantial impact on their quality of life.”

Rheumatology Network interviewed Paul M. Peloso, MD, MSc, Chief Medical Officer at Acelyrin, to discuss recent phase 2 data examining the safety and efficacy of izokibep in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

Demographic factors and comorbidities are associated with death related to COVID-19 in the general population and in people with rheumatic diseases, including gout.

"Cardiovascular manifestations in rheumatoid arthritis can be complex, raising concerns for adequate patient management and provider-dependent roles.”

Although pulmonary complications in pediatric patients may cause functional impairment and increase mortality, studies detecting lung involvement in children with treatment-naïve, newly diagnosed patients with rheumatic disease are scarce.

Investigators believe that “screening for comorbidities of COPD and diabetes mellitus with end-organ damage as part of the routine in treating RA-ILD population" may be beneficial.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 20, 2022.

"Chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus is prone to cause substantial disfigurement on visible skin, negatively impacting patients’ mental health and social life."

“These observations suggest that the often-observed epidemiologic correlation between low serum urate and adverse health outcomes may be confounded."

Although the role of PPIs in the occurrence of both drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus and drug-induced cutaneous lupus erythematosus has been suggested, it remains poorly characterized.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved of the citrate-free, high-concntration (100 mg/mL) formulation of adalimumab-bwwd, a biosimilar of adalimumab, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

“Given the complex nature of PsA, patients should also be involved in defining their treatment goals, as every patient may have different perspectives on the target for therapy and the means to achieve it.”

Although the current treatment strategies for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis help to relieve pain symptoms, these medications provide limited efficacy on the underlying disease.

Despite gout being largely associated with White men, new data suggest gout and hyperuricemia impart a larger burden on other demographic groups, including Black men, Black women, and White women.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 13, 2022.

"An unmet need is a biomarker that distinguishes active lupus nephritis, particularly important in pediatrics where minimizing invasive procedures is desirable.”

"COVID-19 vaccines are effective against severity of SARS-COV-2 infection, but there has been a concern regarding their effect on the risk of flares in patients with gout, which are associated with health-related quality of life, healthcare resource utilization, and work productivity."

Patients with psoriatic arthritis receiving risankizumab reported improved joint and skin symptoms when compared with placebo.

Exercise and behavioral techniques can be helpful, but they are not often implemented because their effectiveness is unknown and regular face-to-face sessions are undesirable.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending August 6, 2022.

Rates of serious and non-serious infection events were higher in patients receiving tofacitinib, 5 mg 2 times daily and 10 mg 2 times daily, when compared with TNFis.

Despite previous evidence showing the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in patients with fibromyalgia and chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, controversy still exists over the role of 25OHD in the treatment of these diseases.

The American College of Rheumatology announced updated vaccination guidance for patients with rheumatic diseases, including expanding indications for certain vaccines for those receiving immunosuppressive medications, medication management, and vaccination delay.

Whether it is leaning on the support of colleagues, mindfulness meditation, or jujitsu, rheumatologists weigh on how they personally prevent and manage symptoms of burnout.

“During the pandemic, it was an absolutely critical lifeline to stay connected with our patients. But now that now that elements of the pandemic have been routinized and normalized, the risk benefit ratio of a telemedicine versus an in person visit has changed.”

Besides the obvious stressors regarding the uncertainty of COVID-19 and implementation of telemedicine, other issues include the rheumatologist shortage, referred to as the “great resignation."

Patients with pediatric psoriatic arthritis will now have access to the first-in-class treatment option, ustekinumab.