Lupus

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus demonstrate a relatively high rate of retinopathy at initial diagnosis, and may represent an early manifestation of the disease, according to data published in BMC Rheumatology.

An estimated 58.5 million adults in the United States — nearly one-quarter of the country’s adult population — had arthritis, while 25.7 million demonstrated arthritis-related activity limitations, during 2016 to 2018, according to data.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a risk factor for increased mortality in elderly patients with early breast cancer, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Although patients with neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus can exhibit a diverse range of rare manifestations, these symptoms are not necessarily unique to lupus, according to a presenter here.

Having well controlled disease is the first and most important step to a safe pregnancy in patients with lupus, according to a presenter at the 2021 Congress of Clinical Rheumatology-West.

When addressing symptoms of non-renal lupus, there is often a disconnect between the rheumatologist’s focus on inflammation-related symptoms and the patient’s need to improve fatigue and pain, according to a presenter here.

Rheumatologists opt for therapy regimens that include rituximab more often than nephrologists in treating refractory lupus nephritis or renal flare in children, according to data published in Pediatric Rheumatology.

Updated evidence “strongly supports” ending the use of hydroxychloroquine for either preventing or treating COVID-19, due to a lack of benefits combined with potentially fatal cardiovascular complications, according to a meta-analysis.

The American College of Rheumatology recommended that patients with rheumatic diseases who are on immunosuppressants receive a third dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. It was the top story in rheumatology last week.

The NIH has launched a clinical trial to examine antibody responses to a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose in patients with autoimmune disease who failed to respond to the initial vaccine regimen.