Infection News

WASHINGTON — Patients with inflammatory arthritis who receive rituximab, interleukin-6 inhibition or Janus kinase inhibitors demonstrate higher severe infection risks vs. TNF inhibitors, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.

WASHINGTON — Withholding Janus kinase or interleukin-17 inhibitors from patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondyloarthritis does not significantly benefit COVID-19 booster response, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.

WASHINGTON — Herpes zoster vaccination is effective in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis, without increasing the risk for severe lupus flares, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.

Higher disease activity and medication reduction at COVID-19 vaccination increase the risk for subsequent flares in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, according to data published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

Patients with autoimmune or inflammatory rheumatic diseases living in rural areas demonstrate a 24% higher mortality risk after SARS-CoV-2 infection vs. those in urban areas, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

It's that time of year again, everyone rolling up their sleeves to get a flu shot. This throwback episode dives into the history of the struggles pinning down the causative agent of flu and the journey to the vaccine!

New diagnoses of autoimmune diseases were not overall more likely among vaccinated patients infected with omicron or delta variants of COVID-19, compared with those not infected, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.

SAN DIEGO — Although a flood of COVID-19 and long COVID research continues to emerge, concerns may be limited for rheumatologists, according to a speaker at the 2024 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.

Protecting immunocompromised individuals from infections like herpes zoster is an ongoing challenge for every rheumatologist.