Rheumatoid Arthritis News

WASHINGTON — Among patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases, circulating interleukin-18 levels were lower in those with long COVID vs. those without, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2024.

WASHINGTON — Exposure to specific pesticides, including DDT, demonstrates “strong and significant” risks for rheumatoid arthritis among the female spouses of pesticide applicators, according to a study presented at ACR Convergence 2024.

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 — Practices that join the American College of Rheumatology’s RISE registry report “doubled to tripled” rates of improvement in rheumatoid arthritis function and disease activity assessment, according to data.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis aged younger than 40 years are more than twice as likely to receive biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs vs. older individuals, according to data.

Despite a lack of research in the area, there is significant evidence that traumatic stress contributes to the onset and worsening of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, according to a review published in Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and high rheumatoid factor demonstrate better clinical outcomes, and maintain drug concentration, when treated with certolizumab pegol vs. adalimumab, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis starting biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs have a higher risk for interstitial lung disease vs. the general population, with the highest risk found in RA, data show.