Rheumatoid Arthritis News

Although there is a wide array of therapies for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the choice of when and how aggressively to employ them can sometimes conflict with established guidelines, according to a presenter.

Performing basic clinical observation on patients with temporomandibular joint arthritis is critical to determining whether their disease has improved, worsened or remained the same, according to the Rheumatology Nurses Society president.

Some patients with rheumatoid arthritis still demonstrate residual symptoms despite achieving low-disease activity or remission, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Upadacitinib monotherapy, at 15 or 30 mg daily, significantly improves clinical, radiographic and patient-reported outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis, compared with weekly methotrexate, according to data published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Individuals who provide personal support for patients with rheumatoid arthritis can provide physicians with valuable insight into their physical and emotional states, according to findings published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.

Methotrexate use by patients with rheumatoid arthritis was not associated with an increased risk for developing interstitial lung disease, according to a study published in European Respiratory Journal.

Although patients with rheumatoid arthritis who fail initial TNF therapy are more likely to switch to a second TNF inhibitor, those who swap to a non-TNF-inhibitor are more likely to continue with therapy, researchers reported.

Daily stimulation of the vagus nerve yielded quantifiable improvement in disease activity in a small cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, bringing this approach closer to becoming a therapeutic reality, according to a presenter at the 2020 Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit.

In a cohort of pregnant women with prior maternal congenital heart block, hydroxychloroquine successfully reduced the risk for recurrent fetal blocks by more than 50%, according results from the PATCH trial.

While FDA- and EU-approved JAK inhibitors have shown comparable efficacy and safety across a spectrum of immune-mediated diseases, more study is required to fully parse the mechanism of action, according to a presenter at the 2020 Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit.