‘We are a team’: ACR highlights self-management for Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month
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Every September, a national spotlight shines on rheumatic diseases, a wide-ranging group of more than 100 different conditions that shape the lives of millions of people every day.
For this year’s Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month, the American College of Rheumatology is focusing on patient education with its “Self-Management for Patients Living with Rheumatic Conditions” campaign, according to a press release. Through an online toolkit that includes infographics, guides and patient testimonials, ACR is highlighting five areas where patients with rheumatic diseases can take action to make meaningful changes in their quality of life:
- stress management;
- medication adherence;
- lifestyle changes, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet;
- communication and collaboration with a health care team; and
- maintaining a support system of family or friends.
“Each patient encounter is an opportunity for rheumatologists (and rheumatology health professionals) to remind patients to incorporate self-management techniques in their lives,” the campaign’s medical spokesperson, Bhakti Shah, MD, a rheumatologist at Crystal Run Healthcare, in New York, said in the release. “During my patient visits, I try to review topics such as medication adherence, physical activity and quality of life, and I remind them that we are a team, and collaboration will lead to improved outcomes for them.”
In observance of Rheumatic Disease Awareness Month, Healio Rheumatology has put together the year’s top coverage of the field. Keep reading for a look back at promising results in CAR T-cell therapy, expert insights into rising rates of autoimmunity and more.
Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company ‘flying under the radar’ after 2 years
The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company launched in January 2022 to a flurry of promises, curiosity, and a certain guarded optimism among experts regarding its potential to lower medication prices for patients.
Two years down the line, the company, helmed by billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban, has had both slam dunks and airballs. Read more.
Blood sample test can diagnose fibromyalgia via Raman spectroscopy
A blood sample analysis using Raman spectroscopy, combined with statistical modeling, was sufficient to diagnose fibromyalgia, according to data published in Biomedicines.
“A rapid test which can be conducted at evaluation sites can lead to peace of mind for the patient and can also achieve considerable cost savings,” study author Kevin V. Hackshaw, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Texas at Austin, told Healio. Read more.
‘We cannot pour from an empty cup:’ Work-life balance takes priority for today’s providers
When it comes to work-life balance, providers in the past skewed more toward work than life.
However, shifting demographics in the medical workforce, increasing capacity for communication and the COVID-19 pandemic have fundamentally altered that calculus. Read more.
Early-onset osteoarthritis cases have doubled globally since 1990
Incident cases of early-onset osteoarthritis have doubled globally over the last 3 decades, with the proportion of years lived with disability attributable to high BMI rising from 9.41% to 15.29%, according to data.
“Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability worldwide and is often considered as a condition of older people,” Qianlin Weng, of Xiangya Hospital at Central South University in China, and colleagues wrote in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. “However, there is a growing appreciation that young and middle-aged adults may also be affected.” Read more.
Source of surging autoimmunity may lie in ‘a thousand cuts’
The common consensus for some time has been that the prevalence of autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases has been on the rise.
Decidedly less common, however, is a widely accepted explanation of why this is occurring. Read more.
Increased cereal fiber intake may reduce rheumatoid arthritis risk
Individuals with higher cereal fiber intake are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, according to data published in Nature Scientific Reports.
The researchers additionally concluded that the Dietary Inflammatory Index score is a “crucial intermediary” in this relationship, highlighting the role of diet in preventing and managing RA. Read more.
CAR T-cell therapy brings sustained, drug-free remission in three autoimmune diseases
Single injections of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy brought long-lasting remission to 15 patients with three different autoimmune diseases, according to data published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
“Although antibody-based B-cell targeting certainly improved treatment of autoimmune disease, achieving long-lasting drug-free remission has proven elusive,” Fabian Müller, MD, of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany, and colleagues wrote. “CAR T cells could potentially achieve this goal by deep depletion of B cells through the targeting of the surface molecule CD19, which is expressed on a wide spectrum of B cells and plasmablasts.” Read more.
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