by Diana Swift Contributing Writer, MedPage Today A family history of arthritis-related conditions, such as osteoarthritis (OA) or unspecified arthralgia, was not markedly predictive of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a Swedish study. “Although statistically significant familial co-aggregation was found for RA to every non-RA arthritis-related disease group — interestingly with no pronounced difference […]
December 9, 2014 People born by C-section, more often suffer from chronic disorders such as asthma, rheumatism, allergies, bowel disorders, and leukaemia than people born naturally. Babies who enter the world through a Caesarean delivery face much greater risks of developing a range of chronic immune disorders caused by defects in the immune system, compared […]
The Lancet — Lamb SE, et al. | October 14, 2014 Disease–modifying biological agents and other drug regimens have substantially improved control of disease activity and joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis of the hand. However, commensurate changes in function and quality of life are not always noted. Tailored hand exercises might provide additional […]
Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 Sep;73(9):1683-8. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2012-203143. Epub 2013 Jul 9. Evers AW Abstract OBJECTIVES: Both stressors and stress vulnerability factors together with immune and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity components have been considered to contribute to disease fluctuations of chronic inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the present study was to […]
Medscape.com Mohamed K. Bedaiwi, Robert D. Inman Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2014;26(4):410-415. Abstract Purpose of review The gut microbiome plays an integral role in the development and maintenance of the host immune system. Expanding knowledge about this microbial microenvironment has raised the possibility of new treatments based on this knowledge. In this review, we describe the […]
Published: Aug 13, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points There is some evidence that particulate air pollution may influence risk for and expression of autoimmune disease. A particular role for nanoparticles in human disease has not been established. Recently, I wrote an article about some interesting research being done by Jean Pfau, […]
Women who are overweight or obese, particularly those becoming so by late adolescence, have an elevated risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis. by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today August 01, 2014 Women who are overweight or obese, particularly those who acquire the excess weight by late adolescence, have an elevated risk for developing rheumatoid […]
Rheuminations: Chinese Herb for RA Questioned by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today June 20, 2014 We recently reported on a randomized study conducted in China in which a plant extract widely used in traditional Chinese medicine was found to be noninferior to methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and had similar rates of adverse […]
Posted on Tue, Apr 22, 2014 @ 10:17 AM Patients with autoimmune diseases such as, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or Sjogren’s disease are typically given protocol-driven treatments with limited success because an acute care model is given to a chronic problem while the underlying causes are never investigated. The problem with this is everyone […]
Published: Apr 19, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points A risk score encompassing clinical characteristics, serologic findings, and imaging tests could be used to predict which patients with positive antibodies to anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide are likely to go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA), researchers found. Note that in the […]
Published: Apr 17, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Long-term moderate alcohol drinking was associated with a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), researchers found. The association appeared to be stronger in seropositive RA cases. Women who consumed alcohol moderately over the long term had a decreased […]
Published: Apr 16, 2014 | Updated: Apr 17, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story Action Points Note that several studies have begun to implicate particular commensal pathogens as potentially etiologic in the development or perpetuation of rheumatoid arthritis. Be aware that no interventional trials, such as a trial of pathogen […]
by Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today April 15, 2014 A plant extract used in traditional Chinese medicine was as effective as methotrexate for the short-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and was superior when the two agents were given in combination, an open-label randomized trial showed. At 6 months, 46.4% of patients receiving methotrexate had improved by […]
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 04/08/2014 Evidence Based Medicine Clinical Article Kelley GA, et al. – Depression is a major public health problem among adults with arthritis and other rheumatic disease. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of previous meta–analyses addressing the effects of exercise (aerobic, strength or both) on depressive symptoms in adults […]
Randomized, and double-blind trial Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine , 03/25/2014 Clinical Article Reed GW, et al. – The study aims to determine whether a combination of borage seed oil rich in gamma linolenic acid (GLA) and fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is superior to either oil alone for treatment of rheumatoid […]
January 14, 2014 Full Story Shoulder replacement surgery improved range of motion and reduced pain in nearly all cases of rheumatoid arthritis, especially when patients had an intact rotator cuff, based on study results recently published in the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. Using the data in the Mayo Clinic Total Joint Registry, researchers studied […]
Jonathan Kay, MD December 20, 2013 Hello. I’m Jonathan Kay, Professor of Medicine and Director of Clinical Research in the Division of Rheumatology at UMass Memorial Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, both in Worcester, Massachusetts. Welcome to my Medscape blog. Patients often come to my office interested in alternative treatments — […]
Published: Nov 8, 2013 | Updated: Nov 8, 2013 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42799 Action Points The study found that the presence of Prevotella copri in stool samples strongly correlated with disease in new-onset untreated rheumatoid arthritis patients. The increases in Prevotella abundance correlated with a reduction in Bacteroides and a loss of reportedly beneficial microbes […]
AY Nemet, J Hanhart, I Kaiserman, S Vinker Clin Ophthalmol 2013 Oct 18;2013(7)2079-2084 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Study results showed an increased prevalence of osteoporosis in a large cohort of patients ≥ 50 years who underwent cataract surgery compared with age- and gender-matched controls. SUMMARY PracticeUpdate Editorial Team Background: Calcium is considered an important factor in the […]
Published: Oct 22, 2013 | Updated: Oct 22, 2013 By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story: http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42424 Action Points In patients with DMARD-naive early RA receiving therapy, hand BMD loss at 6 months was associated with erosion scores at 12 months. Note that baseline erosion scores correlated with erosion severity/progression. Early decline in […]