Lana Pine

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending May 7, 2022.

Janet E McDonagh, MD, FRCP, discusses the study “The Role of Age in Delays to Rheumatological Care in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.”

According to investigators, pulmonary hypertension indicates an increased risk of mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis.

The cross-sectional analysis determined cognitive performance of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was significantly lower when compared with controls in both motor speed and psychomotor speed domains.

The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommends screening and early management of cardiovascular disease in patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.

“Biomarkers can be used to elucidate normal and pathological processes and to measure biological response to a therapeutic intervention,” investigators stated.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending April 30, 2022.

investigators initially theorized the drug may positively impact patients with COVID-19 treated with ruxolitinib.

In the interest of receiving a variety of opinions from rheumatologists, we asked several key opinion leaders about their thoughts on treating patients with glucocorticoids, regarding their reputation, benefits, risks, and if they are ultimately more helpful or harmful in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

“In recent years, the habit of delaying pregnancy because of social and economic reasons has become more common, increasing the possibility of getting pregnant after the onset of the disease," investigators stated. "This fact makes pregnancy a more frequent issue to deal with in the present years.”

Approximately a quarter of RAPID3 assessments, confirmed with 92% accuracy by DAS28 scores, reported patients had low disease activity and could, therefore, postpone routine clinical visits.

Mental and physical illnesses, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are often driven by social, environmental, and economic factors and may affect disease outcomes.

“Understanding the extent of the co-occurrence and identifying factors associated with an increased susceptibility could be relevant to implement case-finding strategies in specific at-risk populations," investigators stated.

Jeffrey Stark, MD, discusses the latest bimekizumab and certolizumab pegol data presented at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting.

A notable percentage of patients with rheumatic diseases, such as psoriatic arthritis, stop taking bDMARDs due to lack of effectiveness and adverse events.

Manuel Francisco Ugarte-Gil, MD, MSc, explains the impact that severe flares have on health-related quality of life for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending April 23, 2022.

Shanthini Kasturi, MD, MS, discusses the importance of patient-reported outcome measures to optimize the care of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Joyce C. Chang MD, MSCE, discusses the racial disparities in renal outcomes for hospitalized children with systemic lupus erythematosus.

As quality of life (QoL) in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is significantly lower when compared with patients with psoriasis, one of the main goals of treating PsA is improving QoL.

Until now, there has been limited information on the long-term safety and efficacy of belimumab in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Disease flares in systemic lupus erythematosus are associated with damage. However, the impact of flares on health-related quality of life have not been analyzed.

White a treat-to-target strategy is an important part of managing patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a more controlled implementation with closer follow-up appointments and patient education yielded better outcomes.

Take 5 minutes to catch up on Rheumatology Network's highlights from the week ending April 16, 2022.

Understanding the differences between sexes regarding PsA treatment may change the management of PsA in male and female patients and improve outcomes.

“Although the achievement of treatment targets has been associated with improved quality of life and slower disease progression, patients may still experience symptoms and a burden of disease,” investigators stated.

Health-related quality of life and treatment satisfaction are often used to improve treatment outcomes as well as clinical care.

“Understanding the drivers of this increased risk in women with gout warrants further investigation in larger datasets," investigators stated.

Dietary counseling could play an important role in the treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis, contributing to better disease activity control.

“There are no tailored age-specific treatment guidelines, and older adults are less likely to receive aggressive therapy for reasons of polypharmacy and multimorbidity,” investigators stated.