Lupus News

Patients with the most damage related to systemic lupus erythematosus pay nearly nine times higher cumulative costs over a 10-year period compared with those with the lowest damage, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Among systemic rheumatic diseases, the risk for opportunistic infection is highest among patients with polymyositis or dermatomyositis, followed by systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and primary Sjögren’s syndrome, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Rheumatology patients treated with interleukin inhibitors have an increased risk for serious infections, opportunistic infections and cancer, according to data published in JAMA Open Network.

Although Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act has increased insurance coverage, it has failed to address other barriers to care, including low income and rural residence, that increase the risk for preventable hospitalizations for lupus, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

The majority of physical therapists can accurately distinguish between inflammatory and noninflammatory arthritis and understand the importance of correct and prompt referrals to a rheumatologist for suspected inflammatory conditions, according to survey results published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Increased hydroxychloroquine blood levels can be used to predict later hydroxychloroquine retinopathy, according to findings published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Low disease activity in lupus offers significant protection against flares and accumulated damage in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, according to findings published in the Lancet Rheumatology.

Secondary Sjögren’s syndrome affects approximately one-quarter of all patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, and the frequency increases with age, according to data published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

Inflammatory arthritis caused by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy can develop into a long-term condition even after treatment cessation, requiring immunomodulatory intervention, according to findings published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

During 2014 to 2015, nearly one-third of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Michigan-based cohort used prescription opioids, with about two-thirds of those users doing so for more than 1 year, according to data published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.