For More Information, ContactKelley Sheahan (404) 633-3777 [email protected]
American College of Rheumatology Releases New Osteoarthritis Treatment Guidelines
New guidelines for the medical management of osteoarthritis will be published in the September issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Due to major advancements in the understanding of this disease, the ACR has updated its guidelines after only five years.
The article covers both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment measures, including COX-2--specific inhibitors, other anti-inflammatory drugs, joint injections, opioids, tidal irrigation, and surgery. Data are also reviewed for therapies still under investigation such as dietary supplements, electromagnetism, lasers, acupuncture, and stem cell and other transplantations.
Osteoarthritis involves the deterioration of cartilage that cushions bones in the joints and is the most common form of arthritis, afflicting more than 12 percent of Americans.
The article was written by the ACR Subcommittee on Osteoarthritis Guidelines. Members of the subcommittee are Roy D. Altman, MD, of Miami, Florida; Marc C. Hochberg, MD, MPH, of Baltimore; Roland W. Moskowitz, MD, of Cleveland, Ohio; and Thomas J. Schnitzer, MD, PhD, of Chicago.
The ACR develops practice guidelines for the purposes of reducing inappropriate care, controlling geographic variations in practice patterns, and making effective use of health care resources. They are not intended to supercede a clinician's professional judgment.
The article, "Recommendations for the Medical Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hip and Knee," will be online at http://www.arthritisrheum.org on or about September 18, 2000. Registration is free until January 2001.
The ACR is the professional organization for rheumatologists and health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability and curing arthritis and related rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The ACR's 64th Annual Scientific Meeting, held Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in Philadelphia, will feature more than 2,000 presentations on the pathophysiology, treatment and epidemiology of arthritis and related diseases. For more information, see http://www.rheumatology.org.
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Dr. Altman can be reached at (305) 243-5735 or [email protected]. He has relationships with Abbott, Aventis Pharmaceutical Co., Boehringer-Ingelheim, Eutovita, Fidia Co., Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-McNeil, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Novartis, Pierre Farber, Procter and Gamble, Sanofi, Searle, United Therapeutics, Whitehall Robbins, Negma, and NeuColl Corp.
Dr. Hochberg can be reached at (410) 706-6474 or [email protected]. He has relationships with Merck & Co., Aventis Pharmaceutical Co., NEGMA Laboratories, Procter and Gamble, Roche, Wyeth-Ayerst, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, and Schering Plough.
Dr. Moskowitz can be reached at (216) 844-3168 or [email protected]. He has relationships with Searle (Pharmacia), Sanofi-Synthelab, Fidia Co., and NeuColl Corp.
Dr. Schnitzer can be reached at (312) 503-1500 or [email protected]. He has relationships with Abbott, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, McNeil Consumer, Merck & Co., Novartis, Ortho-McNeil, Parke-Davis, Searle, Wyeth-Ayerst, and SmithKline Beecham.
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