Rheumatoid Arthritis News

PHILADELPHIA — Rheumatologists are unlikely to be held liable under a state’s anti-abortion laws for prescribing methotrexate for a rheumatic disease, according to a law professor who spoke at ACR Convergence 2022.

PHILADELPHIA — Discontinuing methotrexate for 1 week after influenza vaccination offers similar seroprotection as pausing for 2 weeks in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to data presented at ACR Convergence 2022.

The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization for anakinra injection in the treatment of COVID-19 among hospitalized adults with pneumonia requiring supplemental oxygen.

Patients being treated for rheumatoid arthritis are strongly advised to engage in physical exercise when possible, according to new recommendations from the American College of Rheumatology.

Patients with autoimmune diseases may be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease than patients without autoimmune diseases, according to data published in The Lancet.

A higher threshold for patient global assessment — 2 cm rather than 1 cm — increases agreement between Boolean and index-based rheumatoid arthritis remission criteria, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

In patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, vaccination against COVID-19 does not appear to correlate with increased flares, regardless of disease status, previous exposure and vaccine type, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are on Social Security Disability Insurance have a 23% higher risk for cardiovascular disease compared with those considered employable, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Nearly two-thirds of patients with rheumatoid arthritis meet the criteria for at least one sleep disorder, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

SAN DIEGO — Older individuals experience reduced immune activity and increased inflammation that often resemble rheumatic and autoimmune diseases, according to data presented at the Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.