News

Physicians from New York University Langone Health report in the New England Journal of Medicine that the baseline use of biologics was not associated with worse outcomes in a group of 14 patients with autoimmune disease who contracted COVID-19.

Researchers writing in JAMA Dermatology this week report that patients with inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis who are treated with biologics may have a "clinically meaningful" increase in melanoma risk, but the jury is still out.

There is no significant association between biologic exposure and the development of melanoma in patients with IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriasis.

According to a global study carried out at the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (MRC LEU, University of Southampton.) in collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD), the quality of bone density scanning centers is highly inconsistent and needs to be improved.

In this interview with Dr. Kamalan Jeevaratnam, a cardiac electrophysiologist with the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Surrey, we explore whether bisphosphonates are associated with atrial fibrillation. “There are a group of studies that show bisphosphonates are proarrhythmic and a group that show they do not cause any problem,” he said in this interview with Rheumatology Network from his home in London.

The American College of Rheumatology has issued new treatment guidelines for gout strongly supporting a treat-to-target strategy for urate lowing therapy with a serum urate target of less than 6 mg/dl.

In this week's Rheumatology Network news roundup, we highlight an interview we conducted with Brian LaMoreaux, M.D., M.S., a medical director at Horizon Therapeutics and a volunteer clinical rheumatologist with CommunityHealth in Chicago. In this interview, he shares his experience as a rheumatologist in a community where healthcare is not always easy to come by.

Data collected by doctors in Italy when the country was hit by COVID-19 should allow rheumatologists to feel more comfortable in advising patients with chronic arthritis to continue taking immunosuppressive targeted therapies. The data show that chronic arthritis patients treated with DMARDs do not seem to be at increased risk of respiratory or life-threatening complications from SARS-CoV-2.

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as hyperlidipaemia are not being picked up and managed in patients with rheumatology arthritis because it often falls through the gap between rheumatology and primary care provision.

The risk for osteoarthritis has been linked to a number of genes that are susceptible to epigenetic mediators, shows a new review published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology. The influence of epigenetics on osteoarthritis offers new insights on disease risk.

Outcomes for patients with lupus nephritis, which can lead to irreversible renal impairment, can be improved with better measures to evaluate risk and detect early disease, along with new treatments, say researchers writing in Nature Reviews Rheumatology.

More than 300 million cases of knee and hip osteoarthritis occurred worldwide in 2017.

The recommendations put a strong focus on urate-lowering therapy for gout.

The results must be replicated to prove clinical significance.

In patients with knee osteoarthritis, physical therapy may improve pain and functional disability more so than intraarticular glucocorticoid injections, at one year, according to a head-to-head study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The rate of serious infections in people with gout, especially sepsis and pneumonia, is increasing, and certain patient characteristics and external factors are associated with both higher healthcare use and in-hospital mortality in these patients, according to one of the first U.S. studies to describe the epidemiology of hospitalized serious infections in gout.

Stress from the possibility of infection can wreak havoc on the mental health and physical well-being of rheumatic disease patients. It usually affects patients in two ways: they either become experts at thwarting infectious disease or they succumb to the stress. In this video, Dr. Kim Gorgens offers tips for identifying stress and anxiety in your patients. 

Writing in Practical Pain Management, Don L. Goldenberg, M.D., addresses clinical approaches for managing medications during the COVID-19 pandemic in patients with chronic rheumatic autoimmune disease.

In this Q&A with rheumatologist Nigil Haroon, M.D., Ph.D., of the University Health Network and Krembil Research Institute at the University of Toronto, we discuss COVID-19 factors specific to patients with spondyloarthritis.

Dr. Robinson heads the COVID-19 registry for the Global Rheumatology Alliance, a group that is tracking COVID-19 cases in rheumatology patients worldwide. The group recently published the first set of data from registry in the journal Lancet Rheumatology. In this interview, Dr. Robinson discusses the role of the registry.

High platelet levels within the normal range might be an early indicator for increased risk of osteoporosis, study suggests.

Organic nitrates do not have clinically relevant effects on bone mineral density or bone turnover in postmenopausal women, according to a study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

In this interview with Rheumatology Network, Dr. Ellen Gravallese, president of the American College of Rheumatology, addresses the use of telemedicine in rheumatology and how the practice could evolve over time. It may serve to fill gaps in care, she said.

The jury is still out on whether there is a link between the use of bisphosphonates and an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, but doctors prescribing the drugs should bear in mind there may be a link, says the authors of a recent review published online in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Patients with severe and progressive rheumatoid arthritis are at risk for joint damage and deformities, especially of the hands, including ulnar deviation and swan neck deformities. In this quiz, we ask five questions on recognizing and treating aggressive rheumatoid arthritis.

There are currently 14 antiviral medications being tested as possible treatments for COVID-19.

Older adults at high risk for knee osteoarthritis can safely engage in physical activities to improve their general health.

Seeing a rheumatologist within 6 weeks did not reduce the severity of radiographic progression.

A 38-year-old African American woman visited her doctor complaining of a cough, wheezing, and swollen glands. Can you diagnose this patient?

Mortality rates do not increase for inflammatory bowel disease patients who are exposed to JAK inhibitors.