Rheumatology News

• Texas Surgeon Gets 10 Years for Sexually Assaulting Patient The sports medicine specialist was sentenced for assaulting a woman during steroid injections and had sex with at least two patients, according to a medical board complaint.
  Medscape Medical News, August 2018
• Leftover Opioids? Most Older Adults Hang On to Them Older adults support opioid prescribing limits and the need for better counseling and disposal options for leftover pills, yet most prefer to keep them, just in case.
  Medscape Medical News, August 2018
• Statin Use Linked to Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis In a large population-based study in an Australian population, statin exposure was associated with idiopathic inflammatory myositis.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Mediterranean Diet Might Help Ease Psoriasis The Mediterranean diet might help improve psoriasis, a new study suggests.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Resistance to Biologics in RA Underestimated At least 6% of patients with RA were refractory to biologic DMARDs, a study found; however, another expert says the incidence may be much higher.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Do You Recommend Probiotics and Prebiotics to Your Patients? Although many Americans use products that contain live microorganisms, there are few safety data about them.
  Medscape Reader Polls, July 2018
• Osteoporosis Rx Rates Continue Downwards Trajectory Prescribing rates for osteoporosis medications continue to spiral downwards even among those who clearly have osteoporosis by virtue of having been hospitalized for a hip fracture.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• HHS May Alter Rebate Rules for PBM Drug Middlemen The Trump administration appears ready to press for changes in the savings provided to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The president has been an open critic of this industry.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Updated Exercise Guidelines for Adults With Arthritis New recommendations from EULAR on physical activity for patients with inflammatory or osteoarthritis mirror those for the general population.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• More Weight Loss May Be Better for Patients With Arthritis Dropping 10% of body weight reduced pain and improved function in overweight patients with knee OA. Losing an additional 10% further reduced knee joint loading and improved quality of life.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Adalimumab May Help Maintain Remission in Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis In patients with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) who achieved remission while taking adalimumab, researchers saw fewer flares among those who continued taking the drug than among those who stopped taking it.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Medicare Will Likely Face Pushback on Physician Pay Changes CMS has unveiled a proposed overhaul of evaluation and management billing that may create 'winners and losers' among specialties, while leaving the 2018 MIPS reporting period unchanged.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Why Canadian Insurers Are Wary of Covering Medical Marijuana Sun Life Financial, Canada's No. 2 insurer, recently started covering medical marijuana in its Canadian health insurance plan - more than 17 years after the country first legalized it.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• CDC Launches New ME/CFS Guidance for Clinicians New web content addresses diagnosis, management, and additional clinical considerations for managing patients with mylagic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Rheumatologists Cautioned to Avoid Overtreatment Six common approaches to treating inflammatory rheumatic diseases might lead to overdiagnosis and overtreatment, an expert warns. Another expert says overdiagnosis is less common, however.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• DEA Revises Opioid-Quota Rules, Leaving Out Requested Change The DEA's revised approach for production quotas for addictive drugs left out medical groups' recommendation regarding shortages. Patients used the DEA's rule making to decry attitudes about chronic pain.
  Medscape Medical News, July 2018
• Physical Exam Techniques Clarify Diagnosis of Pelvic Floor Myofascial Pain Careful assessment of pain during palpation of pelvic muscles can help to clarify the diagnosis of pelvic floor myofascial pain, according to a systematic review.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• EULAR 2018Obesity in Women and Smoking in Men Strongly Predict Lack of Remission in Early RA Obesity in women and current smoking in men appear to be the strongest predictors of lack of remission in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) within one year, according to new research presented June 13 at EULAR 2018, the annual meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism, in Amsterdam.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Romosozumab Improves Bone Mineral Density in Men With Osteoporosis Romosozumab improves bone mineral density (BMD) in men with osteoporosis, but safety concerns are holding up its approval in the U.S.
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018
• Serum Bone Markers CTX, PINP Not Linked With Hip-Fracture Risk in Osteoporosis
  Reuters Health Information, July 2018