Feature Channels: Arthritis

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Survey results capture perspectives of people living with rheumatoid arthritis and physicians treating the condition over a span of 30 years.

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Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. The combination could be potentially dangerous for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an "exaggerated inflammatory response."

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More than 1.2 million Americans "“ roughly equivalent to the population of Dallas "“ were hospitalized for pneumonia in 2006, making this lung infection the most common reason for admission to the hospital other than for childbirth.

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Researchers have found that a gene region known to play a role in some varieties of adult rheumatoid arthritis is also present in all types of childhood arthritis. The researchers say the responsible gene may be a "master switch" that helps turn on the debilitating disease.

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People who have a birthweight over 10 pounds are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis when they are adults compared to individuals born with an average birthweight, according to a study published by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery online in advance of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

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Patients suffering from severe arthritis now have an option for total ankle replacement that offers increased mobility and pain relief without permanent metal implants. Pioneered by Daniel K. Lee, D.P.M., F.A.C.F.A.S., at UC San Diego Medical Center, this technique is the first in the U.S to offer arthritis sufferers a non-metal, biological ankle replacement.

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Alcohol cuts the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by up to 50%, reveals research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

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Women who breast feed for longer have a smaller chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a study published online ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

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Aches and pains are common in children and teens. Most of the time, they are fairly benign and dismissed as growing pains. However, musculoskeletal pains can signal several serious conditions, says Sangeeta Sule, M.D., pediatric rheumatologist at Johns Hopkins Children's Center, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), the most common form of arthritis in children and teens.

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A new pair of plain language guides -- one for consumers and one for clinicians -- draws on unbiased scientific evidence to compare rheumatoid arthritis drugs, including their clinical benefits, risks and cost estimates.

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In the first comprehensive study of the genetic basis of psoriasis, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered seven new sites of common DNA variation that increase the risk of the troublesome skin condition. They also found that variations in one genetic region link psoriasis and a related joint disorder, psoriatic arthritis, to four autoimmune diseases: type 1 diabetes, Grave's disease, celiac disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

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The April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter takes a look at how to manage seven common conditions without taking medication. It takes some discipline, but in many cases, the nonpharmacological approach can do as much as pills.

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Investigators at Hospital for Special Surgery have identified a new mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism may also shed some light on why gene therapy experiments that use adenoviruses to deliver genes to humans have run into problems.

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Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are studying an unusually pliant yet strong synthetic cartilage replacement in hopes of providing arthritis victims with some relief. In a paper presented at the March Meeting of the American Physical Society, NIST scientists and colleagues from Hokkaido University in Japan reported on the properties of a gel that, while having the pliancy of gelatin, won't break apart even when deformed over 1,000 percent.

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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are twice as likely to experience depression but are unlikely to talk to a doctor about it, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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If Congress fails to permanently fix the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate, rheumatologists may be forced to close their doors to Medicare patients.

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Trimming damaged tissue through arthroscopic surgery does not relieve pain and swelling in arthritic knees any better than simply flushing loose debris from the joint, according to a new review of evidence.

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A chemical messenger has been shown to have a previously unknown major role in autoimmune diseases like arthritis and lupus. Investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) found interleukin 17 plays a major role on shaping B cells' ability to create more and more disease-causing antibodies, which may generate new ideas in the ongoing search for better drug targets.

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Severe muscle weakness caused by myasthenia gravis "“ a highly debilitating autoimmune disorder "“ can be prevented or reversed by blocking a key step in the immune response that brings on the disease, researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine have found.

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The National Football League and NFL Players Association's newly created NFL Player Joint Replacement Benefit Plan has selected The Mount Sinai Medical Center among only two hospitals in New York City and just fourteen across the entire country to assist eligible retired players in need of joint replacement surgery, it was announced today.

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For patients with rheumatoid arthritis, combining one well-known, lower-cost synthetic drug with one of six biologic medications often works best to reduce joint swelling or tenderness, according to a new report by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center.

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Geisinger Health System recently improved the ordering process for DXA scans, quadrupling the number of patients who received a bone density test for osteoporosis. Details of the program were presented at the American College of Rheumatology conference, along with results of 3 other studies that cast light on osteoporosis and arthritis treatment.

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Researchers at Cincinnati Children's suggest that therapies designed to interrupt the localized interaction of inflammatory cells and the blood clotting protein, fibrin, may help arthritis patients.

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Ten million people in the U.S. are estimated to already have bone diseases, and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, putting them at increased risk for osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. UD scientists are now leading research that will shed light on how osteocytes sense external stimuli and communicate with cells on the surface, signaling them to either build more bone or remove existing bone.

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In a head-to-head comparison of the two drugs, Forteo increased lumbar spine density measurements by 7.2 percent compared to 3.4 percent for Fosamax, and it boosted hip density measurements by 3.8 percent compared to 2.4 percent for Fosamax. The study, performed by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, looked at changes in bone density over the course of 18 months in arthritis patients with prednisone-induced osteoporosis.

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The American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation (REF) today announced that it has successfully raised more than $18 million for innovative rheumatoid arthritis research.

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Work factors, such as working few hours and being self-employed, continue to be the most important predictors of work disability and loss among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Total joint replacement may reduce pain and disability in senior citizens with arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Among total knee replacement candidates, the likelihood of reporting lack of social support is higher among black patients compared to white patients, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Patients with arthritis may change work hours, the type and nature of their work or may lose their jobs due to disability related to their arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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When considering long-term benefits, surgery may be a better treatment option than local injections of corticosteroids when treating carpal tunnel syndrome, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Low vitamin D levels may cause greater knee pain and difficulty walking in patients with knee osteoarthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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The shoes you wear may have significant effects on your osteoarthritis of the knee, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Omega-3 fish oils may benefit lupus activity as well as cardiovascular effects for patients with lupus, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Sending bone density results directly to patients increases the likelihood that they will seek treatment and is a preferred method of physicians for communicating results, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Monitoring treatment and increasing adherence (willingness to follow prescribed treatment routine) may reduce fractures in patients with osteoporosis, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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A single injection of intra-articular botulinum toxin Type A may significantly decrease pain and improve shoulder function in osteoarthritis sufferers, according to researches presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Changing the way in which rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed by including one new assessment and excluding two current assessments may allow for the identification and inclusion of a larger number of patients with early disease in clinical studies, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston.

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Total knee replacement is cost effective for the treatment of end-stage arthritis, even when treating high-risk patients, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Testing patients for anti-cyclic citrullinated antibodies, also known as anti-CCP antibodies, before they are seen by a rheumatologist, could result in a diagnosis and a shorter delay before definitive treatment is begun, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston.

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Anakinra (Kineret), a medication used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, improves physical function in children and young adults with neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease, and may provide a clue about what causes these types of diseases, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology's Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Rilonacept (IL-1 Trap) may substantially decrease both disease activity and pain in patients with chronic active gout, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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New potential risk factors for cardiac complications following total joint replacement have been identified, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Abatacept, a biologic therapy used to treat adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, may be a well-tolerated treatment for juvenile arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis experience marked improvements in their disease and less frequent flare-ups when being treated with adalimumab (Humira), according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Etanercept is safe in the long-term treatment of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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An increasing number of elderly users of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be at greater risk of serious gastrointestinal complications, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Having rheumatoid arthritis may increase your risk of stroke, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have now developed a simple approach to predict the risk of cardiovascular events within ten years of diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, according to research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.

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Researchers may be able to predict whether preeclampsia will occur in pregnant women who have SLE, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, Mass.