Lana Pine is the editor of HCPLive Rheumatology. She is an experienced editor and technical writer with a demonstrated history of working in the banking and publishing industries. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, yoga, listening to podcasts, and drawing. She can be reached via email at LPine@mjhlifesciences.com.
Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis Have an Increased Risk of Multimorbidity Burden
March 2nd 2021Investigators believe inflammation, which is known to begin before rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms appear, may be a main factor in the increased prevalence and incidence in multimorbidity for patients with RA.
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Initiation of Febuxostat Does Not Prolong Acute Gout Flares
February 26th 2021“We found that initiation of febuxostat administration during an acute gout flare did not prolong acute flares, and the rate of ‘treat to target’ was higher in the febuxostat group,” investigators concluded. “This may increase patient compliance.”
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Asthma and COPD Linked to Worse Outcomes for Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
February 24th 2021Investigators explored the connection between patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and an increased risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which concurrently correlated with worse patient-reported outcomes (PROs) cross-sectionally.
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Ixekizumab Shows Benefit in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis and Inadequate TNFi Response
February 23rd 2021Generally, guidelines recommend beginning psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis). However, not all patients respond to this method. Ixekizumab (IXE) improved the signs and symptoms of PsA in patients who had exhibited inadequate response to 1 or 2 TNFis.
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Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH: Overall Patient Experience (OPEX)
February 22nd 2021Rheumatology Network sat down with Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH, the lead investigator for the study: OPEX: Development of a novel overall patient experience measure to facilitate interpretation of comparison effectiveness studies. In partnership with CreakyJoints, Fraenkel is a rheumatologist at Berkshire Medical Center and Director of Patient Centered Population Health Research.
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Benjamin Nowell, PhD: The Importance of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Experiences
February 19th 2021Rheumatology Network sat down for an interview with Benjamin Nowell, PhD, in partnership with CreakyJoints, to discuss his 2 most recent studies. Nowell is the Director of Patient-Centered Research at CreakyJoints, part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation.
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American College of Rheumatology Releases COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Guidance
February 18th 2021The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has published guidance regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination for patients with rheumatic diseases, with emphasis placed on prioritizing immunocompromised patients to receive the vaccine.
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How COVID-19 Has Altered Assessment and Treatment of Osteoporosis
February 15th 2021A study published in Osteoporosis International focused on the changes that have occurred over the course of the pandemic for patients with osteoporosis and found that there have been delays in dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning, problems with medication supply, a decrease in face-to-face consultations, and reductions in parenteral medication delivery.
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Glenn Haugeberg, MD, PhD: Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium
February 12th 2021Rheumatology Network sat down for an interview with Glenn Haugeberg, MD, PhD, from Sørlandet Hospital, in Norway, to discuss his presentations for the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium. He will be presenting his findings on Biosimilars: Review and Real-World Experience and Osteoimmunology: Osteoporosis and Beyond.
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Roy Fleischmann, MD: Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium
February 11th 2021Rheumatology Network interviewed Roy Fleischmann, MD, to discuss his presentations for the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium. He is presenting his findings on Combination Therapy in Rheumatology and Rheumatology 2020: A Year in Review of Novel Therapies.
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Arthur Kavanaugh, MD: Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium
February 10th 2021This week we sat down for an interview with Arthur Kavanaugh, MD, to discuss his presentations for the Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium. He is currently the chairman for the 2021 conference. Kavanaugh is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Innovative Therapy at UC San Diego. He will be presenting his findings on Rheumatology 2020: A Year in Review for rheumatoid arthritis, spondylarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. We discuss what sets RWCS apart from other conferences and the exciting content that participants can expect.
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Combatting Sedentary Behavior in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis or Replacement
February 9th 2021Investigators set out to explore sedentary behavior, physical and mental limitations, the willingness of this patient population to engage in more regular exercise, how perceptive they were to using technology to support a more active lifestyle, and interventions to reduce sedentary time.
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Etanercept Shows Greater Improvements in Treating Psoriatic Arthritis Than MTX Monotherapy
February 5th 2021In this 48-week, phase 3, randomized controlled trial, investigators examined patient-reported outcomes of patients with psoriatic arthritis receiving methotrexate monotherapy, etanercept monotherapy, or a combination of both drugs.
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Tocilizumab Does Not Improve Outcomes for Patients With Severe COVID-19
February 3rd 2021Tocilizumab is an interleukin 6 (an inflammatory cytokine) inhibitor approved for treating a variety of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. As studies have shown that an increased level of interleukin 6 directly correlates to poor COVID-19 outcomes, investigators speculated that blocking this activity could be a helpful tool in treating the virus and lessening its severity.
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Alice Fike, MS, NP: Latino Patients Disproportionately Affected by COVID-19
February 2nd 2021This week, we sat down for an interview with Alice Fike, MS, NP, from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), to discuss her study titled “Risk factors for COVID-19 and rheumatic disease flare in a US cohort of Latino patients.” The primary objective of this retrospective study was to understand why Latino patients were being disproportionately affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
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Latino Patients With Rheumatic Diseases are at Higher Risk of Contracting COVID-19
February 1st 2021The primary objective of this retrospective study was to understand why Latino patients were being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Of the patients observed, 32 (18%) developed COVID-19 during the study period, meaning incidence rates were 5- to 11-fold higher than the general population (1,540 to 3,431/100,000).
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April Jorge, MD: Improved COVID-19 Outcomes for Patients With Rheumatic Disease
January 29th 2021This week, we sat down for an interview with April Jorge, MD, to discuss the findings of her study, “Temporal trends and severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients with rheumatic disease,” and what this may mean for patients with rheumatic disease moving forward in the pandemic.
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Filgotinib and Methotrexate Combination Therapy Proves Effective Treatment for RA in FINCH 3 Trial
January 28th 2021In a new study, investigators set out to discover whether the Janus kinase-1 inhibitor filgotinib is efficacious, either in combination with MTX or as monotherapy, in patients with RA who have had limited or no MTX exposure.
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Investigators aimed to improve the quality of care by creating effective management plans using the goals of both the patient and physician. During the course of the Elderly Multimorbidity Clinic (EMC) program, 75% of patients accomplished at least 1 of their goals. Unfortunately, no sustained benefits were observed because of low follow-up.
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Improved COVID-19 Outcomes for Patients With Rheumatic Diseases
January 20th 2021Investigators found "improved outcomes for patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases after COVID-19 diagnosis in more recent months of the pandemic compared with earlier months, including lower risks of death, respiratory failure, and renal failure."
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