Rheumatology News and Research

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Rheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists mainly deal with clinical problems involving joints, soft tissues and allied conditions of connective tissues.

New insights into predictors of organ damage in childhood-onset SLE

Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) is a chronic, severe autoimmune disorder that carries a risk of early organ damage.

14 Jun 2024

Tackling challenges in childhood arthritis transition to adult care

Rheumatological diseases can affect people during childhood, the most common being juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

14 Jun 2024

Exploring the comorbidities associated with osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis worldwide, and has an increasing global burden of disability and healthcare utilization.

14 Jun 2024

Mutated TREX1 gene linked to catastrophic DNA damage and deadly rare disease

TREX1 is a gene that is supposed to direct the maintenance of the entire body's DNA, but new research shows that when people are born with mutated TREX1, it causes catastrophic damage to the DNA over time, resulting in a deadly rare disease called retinal vasculopathy with cerebral leukoencephalopathy (RVCL).

13 Jun 2024

New insights into physical activity adoption for rheumatic patients

An HPR abstract sessions at the 2024 EULAR congress looked specifically at harnessing the benefits of exercise in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) – and the challenges to their practical implementation.

13 Jun 2024

Dose reduction of glucocorticoids in systemic lupus erythematosus

Glucocorticoids are a mainstay of treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). But due to long-term adverse effects, dose reduction is becoming a crucial part of treat-to-target management goals.

13 Jun 2024

New insights into blood precursors of pathogenic macrophages in RA

The exact origin and precursor differentiation route of tissue macrophages remains controversial. At the 2024 congress of EULAR - The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology - new work sheds light on blood precursors of pathogenic tissue macrophages.

13 Jun 2024

Study demonstrates efficacy of treat-to-target in early axial spondyloarthritis

Early therapeutic interventions in inflammatory rheumatic diseases have proven successful in inducing drug-free remission, and EULAR - The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology - recommends early intervention in arthritis, since conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARD) have been shown to slow disease progression in both rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis.

13 Jun 2024

Multi-center study validates systemic score in identifying high-risk patients with Still's disease

A multi-centre, observational, prospective study was designed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the systemic score in predicting life-threatening evolution – defined as the development of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and/or mortality.

12 Jun 2024

EULAR develops new classification criteria for hand osteoarthritis

At present, classifying hand osteoarthritis (OA) is based on clinical findings, and available tools are not able to distinguish between certain phenotypes.

7 Jun 2024

Hallucinations and nightmares could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases

An increase in nightmares and hallucinations – or 'daymares' – could herald the onset of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, say an international team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge and King's College London.

21 May 2024

New rule of biology highlights benefits of instability in living organisms

A molecular biologist at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences may have found a new "rule of biology."

17 May 2024

A previously unknown post-COVID syndrome found

Pradipta Ghosh, M.D., sat down in her office at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and considered a request from the other side of the world.

9 May 2024

Investigating the efficacy and safety of existing drugs in patients with rare immune diseases

This month the first study within the DRIMID consortium (DRIMID stands for Drug Rediscovery for Rare Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases) has started.

23 Apr 2024

Study unlocks how cortisone activates the body’s natural “brakes” on inflammation

Cortisone and other related glucocorticoids are extremely effective at curbing excessive immune reactions.

10 Apr 2024

Enhancer-gene mapping with SCENT method offers insights into disease mechanisms

Genetic studies of diseases map segments of the genome driving disease. But to understand how those changes contribute to disease progression, it is important to understand how they may alter gene regulation of disease genes in cell populations assumed to be driving disease.

10 Apr 2024

New project aims to engineer live joints for osteoarthritis treatment

About 32.5 million people in the United States and 500 million globally suffer from the degenerative joint disease known as osteoarthritis (OA), according to the Centers for Disease Control.

26 Mar 2024

ANU scientists uncover gene mutation driving psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have discovered a gene mutation is responsible for causing psoriasis – a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes patients to develop red, scaly and itchy patches across their body.

25 Mar 2024

Study highlights global fertility decline and its implications for the future

The world is approaching a low-fertility future. Although by 2100 more than 97% of countries and territories will have fertility rates below what is necessary to sustain population size over time, comparatively high fertility rates in numerous low-income countries, predominantly in western and eastern sub-Saharan Africa, will continue to drive population increases in these locations throughout the century.

21 Mar 2024

Gout not just for Victorians: 1 in 40 Brits have this extremely painful disease

If you thought gout was an outdated condition affecting portly, red-faced Victorians, think again.1 in 40 Brits now have this extremely painful disease, making it the UK’s most common form of inflammatory arthritis. Cases among people in their 20s and 30s have increased by 30%, and faster monitoring and treatment is needed, says a leading expert.

18 Mar 2024