Scleroderma News

When journalist Ben Hammersley coined the word “podcast” in 2004, he was attempting to put a name to the phenomenon resulting from the timely convergence of widely available MP3 player technology, inexpensive audio software and weblog culture — a renaissance of radio programs that could be downloaded and played at the listener’s convenience, anytime or anywhere.

The presence of interstitial lung disease at systemic sclerosis diagnosis appears to affect disease outcomes, with data indicating that even mild lung fibrosis is associated with reduced survival, according to a Norwegian study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Learning Objective:

Guideline-based registries designed by physicians, patients and information technology experts demonstrate high data completion and value, with the CONQUER registry specifically showing promise as a growing resource for studying systemic scleroderma in a longitudinal, U.S.-based population, according to data presented at the ACR/ARP 2019 Annual Meeting.

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.

In a world where potentially fatal, high-profile diseases like breast cancer and diabetes devour resources and media attention, organizations like the Scleroderma Foundation are necessary to advocate for patients with lesser known diseases.

NEW ORLEANS — New real-world data demonstrate safety and effectiveness of macitentan for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis, with outcomes consistent with those in idiopathic and heritable PAH, researchers reported at the CHEST Annual Meeting.

Patients with systemic sclerosis carry a more than twofold increased risk for cancer — particularly lung, early breast and early melanoma — compared with healthy peers, leading to higher mortality and higher medical costs, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

SAN DIEGO — A recent FDA approval for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung diseases may portend a new hope for clinicians managing these complicated disorders, according to a presentation at the 2019 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology West.