Rheumatoid Arthritis

The underlying pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis with and without autoantibodies may be different. Researchers say that "it is time to formally subdivide RA into type 1 (with autoantibodies) and type 2 (without autoantibodies)."

In today’s one-on-one interview, we talk with Dimitrios A. Pappas, M.D., MPH, scientific director of the Corrona RA Registry and an adjunct professor with Columbia University. He and his team recently published results from the registry in ACR Open Rheumatology which show that rheumatoid arthritis patients may be able to maintain remission or low disease activity with etanercept (Enbrel, Amgen) monotherapy long-term treatment.

Low-dose oral glucocorticoid therapy increases only vertebral fracture risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients, a study shows.

Findings indicate placebo responses are more than a psychological placebo effect.

In the MONARCH OLE study, more than 50% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had low or inadequate response to adalimumab and switched to sarilumab experienced an improvement in disease activity.

A majority of patients with the condition are on azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil and mycophenolic acid.

Report shows that sarilumab may be better at controlling severe and refractory pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients than adalimumab.

A post-hoc analysis of 3 randomized controlled trials reports on the associations between the IL-6 inhibitor and unacceptable or refractory pain.

Other measures, like home oxygen dependency, all-cause mortality, and hospitalization for respiratory failures rates, had no apparent association with RF and/or ACPA status

There were no new safety signals and efficacy was sustained through 156 weeks.

This is the first time such an algorithm was validated in a large US claims database.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are frequently encouraged to look at their lifestyle and make changes, such as exercising more frequently, following a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight. But what does a balanced diet actually mean? Test your knowledge of the impact of diet on rheumatoid arthritis with our diet quiz to be assured you know the answers to questions patients might ask.

Combining methotrexate with TNF inhibitors may only be worthwhile for rheumatoid arthritis patients who are seropositive, the results of a small study suggest.

Continuous low-dose glucocorticoid regimens are better than tapering for controlling disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis over a six-month period, show the results of the first double blind clinical trial to evaluate an oral glucocorticoid dose-tapering regimen with stable biological background therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Vascular stiffness―which is often the precursor to a major cardiovascular event―appears to be present in early rheumatoid arthritis, shows a new study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

A retrospective study published in The Lancet Rheumatology shows that the long-term use of hydroxychloroquine to treat rheumatoid arthritis patients may increase the risk of cardiovascular mortality.

Gilead expects topline results available from a pair of trials testing the new treatment in 2021.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk for osteoporosis. This heightened risk of osteoporosis can be due to a combination of factors: inactivity due to the pain and loss of joint function associated with the disease, a direct the rheumatoid arthritis disease process, and their treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In this quiz, test your knowledge on the risk of osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis and how it should be treated.

In an interview with Rheumatology Network, Dr. Beate Wieseler compares the effectiveness of biologic drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis after methotrexate fails.

The prior use of methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis patients doesn't seem to be associated with an increased risk of developing fibrotic interstitial lung disease, a common and potentially deadly complication of RA.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of cardiovascular events and cardiovascular death. How much do you know about cardiovascular risk related to rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment?

In this week's news roundup from Rheumatology Network, we talk with Dr. Jeffrey Sparks, a rheumatologist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who recently addressed the importance of an interdisciplinary and individualized approach in treating rheumatic disease patients who have interstitial lung disease, a condition that can lead to worsen morbidity and mortality. Learn more in this interview.

Researchers writing in RMD Open suggest that rheumatoid arthritis patients be assessed for the risk of gastrointestinal perforation before treatment with tocilizumab.

A treat-to-target strategy is recommended over a non-targeted approach for managing rheumatoid arthritis patients, regardless of the level of disease activity. But what should the target be and how should progress be monitored? Test your knowledge in this quiz.

The U.S. FDA has approved the sixth biosimilar to Humira, adalimumab-FKJP (Hulio), which will be available in the United States in 2023 for rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, juvenile arthritis and other conditions.