Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Rheumatology for January 2011. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Tocilizumab Reduces Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis is reduced by tocilizumab treatment, regardless of the measure by which it is evaluated, according to a study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Community-Based Exercise Alleviates Arthritis Pain
THURSDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Community-deliverable exercise improves pain and physical function in adults with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases (AORD), according to a meta-analysis published in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Immune-Mediated Diseases May Up Thromboembolism Risk
THURSDAY, Jan. 27 (HealthDay News) -- People admitted to the hospital with immune-mediated diseases may have a higher risk of getting venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to research published online Jan. 10 in BMC Medicine.
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Electronic Health Records May Not Improve Care Quality
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic health records (EHRs) and clinical decision support (CDS) do not appear to improve the quality of clinical care, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Biologics Effective, but Pricy, to Treat Juvenile Arthritis
MONDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Biologics are more effective than methotrexate (MTX) in achieving a short-term response in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who have had previous suboptimal response to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, according to research published in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Wegener's Granulomatosis Patients Are Faring Better
MONDAY, Jan. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Outcome of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) has improved over the past 40 years, according to research published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Suicide Risk, Accidental Death Increased in Fibromyalgia
FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Patients suffering from fibromyalgia do not appear to be at increased risk for mortality, but the risk of death as a result of suicide and accidents is increased, according to a study in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Physical Exam Helps Diagnose Source of Lumbar Pain
FRIDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) Physical examination tests can help diagnose the presence of nerve root impingement in the low lumbar and midlumbar regions as well as pinpoint level specific impingement in the low lumbar region, according to a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of Spine.
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Daily Use of Xerostomia Device Relieves Oral Dryness
THURSDAY, Jan. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Use of an intraoral electrostimulation device reduces the severity of xerostomia and its associated symptoms, according to a study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Digital Ulcers Linked to More Severe Systemic Sclerosis
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Digital ulcers are associated with more severe systemic sclerosis (SSc) disease, including skin and lung involvement, but not with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) or scleroderma renal crisis (SRC), according to research published in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Sunscreen May Prevent Lesions in Photosensitive CLE Patients
TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a broad-spectrum sunscreen may prevent skin lesions in photosensitive patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE), according to research published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
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Updated Osteoporosis Screening Recommendations Issued
TUESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued an updated statement recommending that women aged 65 years or older, and younger women with an increased risk of fractures, should be screened for osteoporosis; the statement has been published online Jan. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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CDC Report Highlights Important Health Disparities
THURSDAY, Jan. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Among Americans, disparities in income, race and ethnicity, gender, and other social attributes have an impact on whether an individual is healthy or ill or will die prematurely, according to a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released as a supplement to the Jan. 14 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Less Effective for Smokers
TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who smoke are less likely to respond to treatment with methotrexate (MTX) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, according to a study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Antibody Pattern Identifies Rheumatic Disease Patients
TUESDAY, Jan. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Antinuclear Antibody-HEp-2 (ANA-HEp-2) pattern and titer can be used to differentiate between ANA-positive healthy individuals and patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs), according to results from a study published in the January issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Burnout Levels Particularly High in Residents
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of burnout and risk for burnout are high in physicians, particularly residents, and more than a quarter of anesthesiology chairs meet criteria for high burnout, according to two articles published in the January issue of Anesthesiology.
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Clinicians Not Adhering to Arthritis Guidelines
MONDAY, Jan. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Clinicians are not following evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), despite the consistency among the numerous guidelines available, according to a review published in the January issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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Bone Disease Common in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
FRIDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Osteoporosis appears to be common among patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), with older age, low body mass index (BMI), and long duration of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) potential predictors of bone disease, according to a study published in the January issue of Gastroenterology.
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Obesity Negatively Impacts Fibromyalgia Symptoms
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is common in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and appears to adversely impact the severity of the condition, according to research published in the December issue of the Journal of Pain.
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Guidelines to Measure Knee OA Activity Levels Adjusted
TUESDAY, Jan. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Physical activity of knee osteoarthritis (OA) sufferers is more accurately recorded with accelerometers when 90 minutes of nonactivity is used as the nonwear threshold and 10 hours is used as the valid day threshold, according to a report published in the December issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
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