Rheumatoid Arthritis (Subscribe)  

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition in which the articular cartilage on the surfaces of the bones that form joints progressively deteriorates. The terms osteoarthrosis and OA are often used interchangeably. Although inflammation is generally absent in this degenerative condition, most physicians commonly refer to it as OA. Hence, this...

The goal of this panel discussion is to highlight optimal approaches to Rheumatoid Arthritis disease management involving a multidisciplinary team, to identify barriers that may lead to lack of confidence in optimally managing patients with RA, and to identify strategies to overcome such barriers.
Victoria Ruffing, RN, CCRP; Jon T. Giles,...

Modulatory cytokines such as IL-4 and IL-10 looked promising biologicals, but suffered from poor exposure at the inflamed joints when administered via the patient-friendly subcutaneous route. Immunocytokines have now been engineered with tissue targeting potential and are a possible solution to this problem, although challenges still exist. Local inflammatory processes cause destruction of extracellular matrix (ECM)...

Changes in metacarpal cortical bone mineral density (BMD) using digital x-ray radiogrammetry were studied in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis. After 1, 2, and 5 years, large BMD losses were found: –1.7%, –2.8%, and –5.6%, respectively. Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide levels were independent predictors of bone loss, indicating that the largest amount...

Our findings show that only M. fermentans produce bacteremia in a high percentage of patients with RA. This finding is similar to those reported in the literature. IgM and IgG against M. fermentans PG18 were more frequent in patients with RA than healthy individuals
Constantino Gil , Antonio Rivera , David...

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, affects almost three percent of people over age 65. RA patients experience pain, functional limitations and two forms of disabling bone disease: focal erosions and osteoporosis. After five years of disease, up to 50 percent of RA patients show evidence...

In 2008, the FDA required manufacturers of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) antagonists to strengthen their warnings about the risk of serious fungal infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Sinus aspergilloma occurs occasionally in RA...

Infection prevention, including optimal use of vaccinations, should be maximized in patients with autoimmune disease. However, due to underlying immune dysregulation and immunosuppressive treatments, use of vaccines is complicated. This article will review the current understanding and recommendations for vaccines in adult patients with rheumatic disease in order to help...

"We found that patients who had drunk alcohol most frequently had symptoms that were less severe than those who had never drunk alcohol or only drunk it infrequently," said lead author James Maxwell, a consultant rheumatologist at the Rotherham Foundation NHS Trust and an honorary senior clinical lecturer in the...

Cardiorespiratory Aerobic Exercise May Be Helpful in Rheumatoid Arthritis In a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, aerobic exercise was safe in stable rheumatoid arthritis and had a modest benefit on pain and quality of life.
June 30, 2010 — Cardiorespiratory aerobic exercise may be safe and modestly beneficial in patients with rheumatoid...

October 1, 2010 — Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), glucocorticoids, and biologics appear to have similar effects on radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the results of a meta-analysis reported in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
"During the last 10 years, several effective, but expensive immuno-selective biologic drugs...

The revised American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria for rheumatoid arthritis may allow diagnosis before joint damage occurs. Clinical Review, August 2010
August 13, 2010 — Revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), developed in collaboration with the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR), may allow diagnosis...

Revision total knee arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be challenging. We asked whether we could confirm previously reported high failure rates following revision total knee arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
We confirmed the previously reported high mortality and subsequent failure rates following revision total knee arthroplasty for...

18 minute Video presentation by Vibeke Strand, MD

Tenosynovitis is widely accepted to be common in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and postulated to be the first manifestation of RA, but its true prevalence in early disease and in particular the hand has not been firmly established. The aims of this study were first to investigate the frequency and distribution...