Spondyloarthropathies News

Nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis may be under-diagnosed in the U.S. because inflammatory back pain, a key component of this condition, is often not diagnosed appropriately, according to data presented at the virtual ACR State-of-the-Art Clinical Symposium.

There is a significant amount of variation and discordance among interpretations of inflammatory and structural lesions in sacroiliac joints among children, according to findings published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Baseline use of biologics and JAK inhibitors among patients with immune-mediated inflammatory disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis and other related conditions, is not associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes, according to a case series presented in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Arthritis Foundation is more than 70 years old, but its newest theme — Live Yes! — is in its infancy. Historically, the organization has zeroed in on key pillars, including access to care, advocacy in government and attention to the often-overlooked juvenile arthritis. Yet, the Foundation also understood the importance of interpersonal connections and support networks to patient well-being: An idea that laid the foundation for an online community that simultaneously educates and empowers patients, while cultivating their input to develop solutions for issues common to the arthritis population.

The very idea of social distancing runs contrary to congregation and celebration, two things that lie at the core of New Orleans culture. It is for this reason, perhaps, that New Orleanians were initially resistant to quarantine measures to contain COVID-19. But as the death toll climbed and Mayor LaToya Cantrell canceled St. Patrick’s Day festivities, the city slowly awakened to the idea that this was serious business.

Patients with both chronic inflammatory disease and inflammatory bowel disease demonstrated higher health use and costs, compared with those with just chronic inflammatory disease, according to data published in BMC Rheumatology.

Reducing TNF-inhibitor treatments for patients with axial spondyloarthritis may produce “little to no” clinical benefit, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

A newly formed organization, the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance, has launched an international registry to collect data on patients with rheumatic diseases who may or may not have contracted the infection that is causing the global pandemic. The aim is to aid clinicians and researchers in real time as the situation evolves.

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai developed an artificial intelligence model that can scan physicians’ notes and distinguish between acute and chronic lower back pain, according to findings published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Treatment with TNF inhibitors are associated with an increased — albeit still low — risk for neuroinflammatory disease in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, but not rheumatoid arthritis, according to data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.