Juvenile Arthritis News

Children with rheumatic disease who are at high risk for chronic uveitis, or have a history of uveitis, should continue to receive routine ophthalmologic surveillance on schedule through in-person visits, with slit lamp examination, according to COVID-19 clinical guidance from the American College of Rheumatology.

Patients with rheumatic diseases plus COVID-19 are more likely to require mechanical ventilation, but demonstrated similar clinical features and hospitalization rates as those with COVID-19 only, according to data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The FDA has approved Novartis’ Ilaris injection for the treatment of active and adult-onset Still’s disease, according to a press release.

The COVID-19 pandemic, in places like Detroit, with a large working-class population, can highlight the gap between the rich and the poor. It can demonstrate how political unrest can impact the response to a critical situation. Moreover, it can show how health care workers can face both personal and professional challenges in managing an outbreak of this magnitude.

Ultrasound can assist clinical examinations in precisely identifying inflamed sites in ankles among patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Several rheumatology societies in Europe recommended continuing all immunosuppressant therapies as usual in pediatric patients in the face of the continued spread of COVID-19, due to the increased risk for infection associated with withdrawal and subsequent disease flare, according to a review published in Pediatric Rheumatology.

There is a significant amount of variation and discordance among interpretations of inflammatory and structural lesions in sacroiliac joints among children, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

The Arthritis Foundation is more than 70 years old, but its newest theme — Live Yes! — is in its infancy. Historically, the organization has zeroed in on key pillars, including access to care, advocacy in government and attention to the often-overlooked juvenile arthritis. Yet, the Foundation also understood the importance of interpersonal connections and support networks to patient well-being: An idea that laid the foundation for an online community that simultaneously educates and empowers patients, while cultivating their input to develop solutions for issues common to the arthritis population.

The very idea of social distancing runs contrary to congregation and celebration, two things that lie at the core of New Orleans culture. It is for this reason, perhaps, that New Orleanians were initially resistant to quarantine measures to contain COVID-19. But as the death toll climbed and Mayor LaToya Cantrell canceled St. Patrick’s Day festivities, the city slowly awakened to the idea that this was serious business.

Good news about COVID-19 is at a premium these days. Encouraging reports about therapeutic options or vaccine development usually are either overly optimistic or entirely spurious. But scientific advancement is as relentless as the virus itself, and this is exemplified by a growing body of research into a potential association between cytokine storm syndrome and COVID-19.