Daniel J. Wallace, MD, FACP, MACR

WASHINGTON — Lorecivivint is superior to placebo for improving pain, function and structure at 12 months and beyond in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.

Nearly two-thirds of patients with rheumatic diseases reported swapping NSAIDs, opioids, sleep aids or muscle relaxants with medical cannabis, with most reporting higher symptom improvement with the cannabis, according to data.

Rates of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures have fallen significantly among patients with rheumatoid arthritis over the past 24 years, according to a single-center study published in RMD Open.

Patients who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated a 1.16-fold higher long-term risk for systemic lupus erythematosus, while a booster was linked to higher risk for psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, according to data.

Long-term exposure to air pollutants, including particulate matter, increases the risk for developing systemic lupus erythematosus, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Nearly one-quarter of outpatient visits by patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases in the United States between 2006 and 2019 resulted in an opioid prescription, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Serious infections were uncommon among patients with psoriatic arthritis exposed to targeted therapies for the first time in “a large and exhaustive” French cohort, according to data published in RMD Open.

Self-administered acupressure, combined with a short education program, was a cost-effective method of pain relief that boosted mobility in adults with probable knee osteoarthritis, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

Patients in rheumatoid arthritis remission who tapered off conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs had higher risks for flares, with two methods failing to reach non-inferiority vs. stable dosage, according to data.

Aerobic and resistance training are recommended for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, but should be tailored to the individual and, ideally, supervised by a professional, according to recommendations published in RMD Open.