Scleroderma News

DESTIN, Fla. — Stem cell transplantation, rituximab and tocilizumab show considerable promise as treatments for interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis among select patients, according to findings presented at the 2018 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology.

DESTIN, Fla. — Rheumatoid arthritis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in mortality between 2005 and 2015, bucking a downward trend for mortality in most other rheumatologic diseases, according to findings from a national study presented at the North American Young Rheumatology Investigator Forum.

For patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and Sjögren’s syndrome, the productivity costs due to loss of paid and unpaid work were substantial, particularly due to presenteeism and unpaid work impairments, according to findings published in Arthritis Care and Research.

The nature of the relationship that patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases have with their rheumatologist can greatly affect perceptions of — and experiences with — their medications, according to findings published in BMC Rheumatology.

The presence of antibodies against the chemokine receptors CXR3 and CXR4 correlates with the severity of interstitial lung disease related to systemic sclerosis, according to findings published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Many rheumatic diseases – including systemic lupus erythematous, scleroderma and the various forms of psoriasis – present with a multitude of dermatologic symptoms that clinicians can easily confuse with other conditions.

Consensus treatment plans can help reduce variation in treatment approaches, identify effective treatment strategies and standardize outcomes for pediatric patients with rheumatic diseases, according to a recent review published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Data published in Arthritis Research and Therapy suggest that mixed connective tissue disease is a relatively stable disease with infrequent periods of long-term remission.

Myeloablative autologous stem cell transplantation improved long-term clinical outcomes, including overall survival and event-free survival, among patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, according to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

For patients with systemic sclerosis, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension can result in significant increases in health care costs, according to research published in the Journal of Rheumatology.