Rheumatology
February 1, 2012
Joint Surgery Growing Less Common in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Joint replacement surgery continues to become less common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, probably reflecting the widespread adoption of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, judging from findings of a population-based study published in this month’s Journal of Rheumatology…In this study, “we examined whether the prior sex differences and use trends in reduced surgical intervention for RA […]
Tags: Dr. Courtney A. Shourt, joint replacement surgery, rheumatoid arthritis, The Journal of Rheumatology
January 30, 2012
Orthopaedic Surgery Rates Declining in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Declining rates of orthopaedic surgery among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over the past 30 years suggest that advances in treatment are slowing progress of the disease, according to a study published online January 15 in The Journal of Rheumatology. Courtney A. Shourt, MD, from the Department of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, […]
Tags: Courtney A. Shourt, Department of Medicine, orthopaedic surgery, The Journal of Rheumatology
January 25, 2012
Joint Surgery Rates Declining Among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients, Mayo Clinic Finds
The need for joint surgery is declining among rheumatoid arthritis patients, possibly because they can now more effectively manage the disease with medication, Mayo Clinic research has found. When people diagnosed with arthritis since the mid-1990s do need orthopedic surgery, it now is more often on the knees rather than the hips, the study shows. […]
Tags: joint surgery, orthopedic surgery, rheumatoid arthritis, The Journal of Rheumatology
January 20, 2012
Younger Women with RA Face Surprising Fracture Risk
Both men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, are known to be at higher risk of fracture than people who do not have RA – but those fractures are thought to occur more frequently in older patients. A new study challenges the conventional wisdom after finding that the risk of fracture among women younger […]
January 19, 2012
Mindfulness Training Reduces Stress of Rheumatic Disease
A randomized pilot study has shown that a mindfulness-based group therapy intervention produced significant and durable relief for patients with inflammatory rheumatoid joint diseases…Eric L. Matteson, MD, chair of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, reviewed the study for Medscape Medical News. “I did find this interesting and convincing. It is a challenge to […]
November 22, 2011
Early Rheumatologist Care Reduces Need for Surgery
For people with rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, early consultation with a rheumatologist can help prevent surgery down the road, according to a study presented at the American College of Rheumatology 2001 meeting in Chicago… Eric Matteson, MD, chair of the division of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., agrees. “When you see a […]
Tags: Eric Matteson, MD, rheumatoid arthritis
November 14, 2011
High Uric Acid Linked to Both Gout and Diabetes
People with gout should make sure their uric acid levels are under control — even if they’re not experiencing symptoms of the painful arthritic disorder.”Many people are walking around with uncontrolled uric acid levels and we used to not worry about it — if they’re not having symptoms, who cares?” says Eric Matteson, MD, MPH, […]
November 14, 2011
Women Under 50 With RA at Higher Fracture Risk
Women under 50 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more than twice as likely to break a bone as those without the condition, a large study shows. While it’s known that rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a higher rate of fractures in older men and women, “there is an increased risk even before a woman turns […]
November 10, 2011
Rheumatoid Arthritis Doubled Fracture Risk in Younger Women
Rheumatoid arthritis more than doubles the risk of fracture in women younger than age 50, according to the results of a large population-based study. While it’s well known that the disease drives up fracture risk in older men and women, independent of glucocorticoid use, these findings suggest that “we need to make our [younger female] […]
November 10, 2011
DECT Useful in Suspected Gout With Negative Joint Aspiration
Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT), commonly used by urologists to differentiate between uric acid- and calcium-based kidney stones, can also be used to identify gout in patients suspected of having the disease but in whom results of fluid aspiration tests have been negative… “We don’t see DECT as replacing the standard test, but we do use […]