Lupus

Use of biologics to treat moderate to severe systemic lupus erythematosus increased 45% between 2021 and 2023, according to recent findings from a market analysis conducted by Spherix Global Insights.

Aerobic and resistance training are recommended for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, but should be tailored to the individual and, ideally, supervised by a professional, according to recommendations published in RMD Open.

The ability to reason and solve new problems, known as fluid cognition, is lower among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus compared with the general population, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Patients with immune-mediated diseases have higher rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia and pre-term delivery, with lupus and systemic sclerosis conferring the largest risks, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Hydroxychloroquine use for systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis in the first trimester of pregnancy does not significantly increase the risk for major congenital malformations, according to data published in Rheumatology.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a “significant decrease” in the risk for post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 among patients with rheumatic diseases, according to data published in The Journal of Rheumatology.

Disparities in lupus ICU admission and renal outcomes between Black and white children are greater in children’s hospitals serving more Black patients, according to data published in Arthritis Care & Research.

Pregnant patients with lupus or antiphospholipid syndrome have a higher risk for preterm birth, although immune-mediated inflammatory diseases in general are “only weakly associated” with adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to data.

Single injections of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy brought long-lasting remission to 15 patients with three different autoimmune diseases, according to data published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

I am thrilled to introduce our cover story this month, “‘Exploring the Power of Their Mind’: Data May Offer Clues to Harnessing the Placebo Effect,” to the readers of Healio Rheumatology. I say this for several reasons.