In a nutshell This study compared effectiveness and safety of the biological drugs etanercept (Enbrel), adalimumab (Humira), and tocilizumab (Actemra) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The authors concluded that there were no significant differences in effectiveness. Some background Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a...
Read More
In a nutshell The aim of this clinical trial is to determine the connection between inflammation, lipids (fats), and cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis. The main outcome to be measured is the rate of blood flow through the heart before and after treatment with certolizumab (Cimzia). The details Cardiovascular (CV) risk is known...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined the role of physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The authors concluded that patients with RA are mostly active at light intensities. Light physical activity was found to reduce cardiovascular risk and also improved RA outcomes. Some background Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can experience...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined data from a number of recent studies to assess biological drug treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The authors concluded that the results confirmed the effectiveness of biological drugs in treating RA. Some background Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) is a category of drugs defined by their use...
Read More
Did you know that before the year 2000, poor pain management was called a major medical problem and was synonymous with poor medical care in the US? On January 1, 2001, Congress declared 2001 to 2010 the Decade of Pain Control and Research. Assuring that effective pain management occurred in hospitals, in 2003, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of...
Read More
In a nutshell The study examined predictors of treatment success with anti-TNF drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The authors concluded that immune response and the presence of a protein in the blood can predict treatment outcomes with anti-TNF drugs. Some background In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the immune system attacks the healthy joints the...
Read More
In a nutshell This study compared the severity of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with (seropositive) and without (seronegative) certain antibodies in their blood. The authors concluded that seronegative patients had higher levels of inflammation than seropositive patients. Some background RA is diagnosed based on a number of...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study looked impact of fibromyalgia on physical function and pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The authors concluded that patients with fibromyalgia or symptoms of fibromyalgia had worse functional ability than those without fibromyalgia. Some background Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can experience...
Read More
In a nutshell This study compared the effectiveness of two different treatments in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have not responded well to conventional treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The authors concluded that changing to a biological drug showed better remission rates than switching to an alternative...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined the link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and weakened kidney function. The authors concluded that poor kidney function is common in patients with RA and is linked to age, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular risk factors. Some background It has been estimated that between 5 and 50% of RA patients have...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study compared the effectiveness of abatacept (Orencia) and tocilizumab (Actemra) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had previously taken anti TNF therapy. The authors concluded that both of these drugs led to a significant improvement in disease activity in both treatment groups. Some background In RA, the...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This study examined the impact of body weight on disease activity in patients with arthritis. The authors concluded that patients who are obese are less likely to see improvements in disease activity after treatment than patients with a normal weight. Some background Patients with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and...
Read More
