Rheumatology News

Lower levels of S100 proteins at baseline predict better treatment response with abatacept in patients with polyarticular-course juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

In patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have an inadequate response to methotrexate, a treatment sequence beginning with a biosimilar appeared cost-effective compared with leflunomide, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

Metformin may protect against the progression of adverse renal and cardiovascular outcomes in patients systemic lupus erythematosus, including lupus nephritis and infarction, according to data published in ACR Open Rheumatology.

An eight-item questionnaire, called Central Aspects of Pain, reliably measures nociplastic pain across a variety of chronically painful musculoskeletal conditions, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Latin American patients with rheumatoid arthritis experience fewer serious adverse events, including major adverse cardiovascular events and malignancy, than patients who are not Latin American, according to a study.

A shared-care rheumatology clinic, where a rheumatologist saw patients virtually after another health care professional performed an initial assessment, was “successful by many metrics” and led to travel cost savings, according to a study.

It may be possible to forecast persistent disease activity in juvenile idiopathic arthritis using C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, according to data published in BMC Rheumatology.

Poor representation of darker skin tones in dermatology training materials has led to delayed diagnoses and worse treatment outcomes in Black, Asian and non-white Latin American patients, according to a presenter.

Although swollen lymph nodes are often common in rheumatology, they are also a “hallmark” of rare, life-threatening diseases, such as IgG4-related disease and Castleman disease, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity, such as GLP-1 receptor agonists, are becoming an important treatment pathway in rheumatology, according to a presenter at the 2024 Association of Women in Rheumatology annual conference.