Rheumatoid Arthritis News

This month, we are so lucky to have such an extraordinary panel of experts in the field of rheumatoid arthritis — Daniel Aletaha, MD, MSc; Stanley Cohen, MD; Bryant R. England, MD, PhD; Roy Fleischmann, MD; and Liana Fraenkel, MD, MPH — debate the merits of remission vs. low disease activity as the desired target in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

Treating to target has, since the dawn of targeted biologic and non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, permeated every aspect of rheumatology care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wrecked “significant negative impacts” on pain, function and treatment accessibility for individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain, according to a speaker at the 2022 OARSI World Congress.

Adults with rheumatoid arthritis who adopted a vegan diet experienced improved joint pain, lower cholesterol and weight loss, according to a small, randomized study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Rilzabrutinib induced rapid and durable clinical activity in previously treated patients with immune thrombocytopenia, according to results of a phase 1/phase 2 clinical trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases should engage in both aerobic and strengthening exercises, aiming for at least moderate intensity, according to new EULAR recommendations.

The FDA has granted priority review for intravenous tocilizumab to treat adults hospitalized with COVID-19 who are receiving systemic corticosteroids and require supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

The mere presence of rheumatoid factor or anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, without rheumatoid arthritis clinical disease, does not increase cardiovascular risk, according to data published in Arthritis Research & Therapy.

Baricitinib reduces structural joint damage progression in rheumatoid arthritis even among patients with who continue to exhibit moderate or high disease activity, according to data published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

March is Autoimmune Awareness Month, and rheumatology organizations have been using their reach and influence on social media sites to spread the word and help patients with autoimmune diseases find community.