Tag Archives: arthritis research

OA Patient Guidelines

Arthritis Today’s Snapshots from the ACR Meeting: Part 3

The editors of Arthritis Today magazine were on the scene, collecting news and information to share with readers from the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) Annual Meeting, November 9-13, in Atlanta. Here are a few of the many interesting and enlightening research topics they learned about.

Continue reading Arthritis Today’s Snapshots from the ACR Meeting: Part 3

OA Patient Guidelines

Arthritis Today’s Snapshots from the ACR Meeting: Part 2

The editors of Arthritis Today magazine were on the scene, collecting news and information to share with readers from the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) Annual Meeting, November 9-13, in Atlanta. Here are a few of the many interesting and enlightening research topics they learned about.

Genes Play a Role in Disease Changes in Pregnancy
What do women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) expect when they are expecting? The rule of thumb has long been that RA goes quiet during pregnancy but flares after delivery. But that’s not true for everyone, and researchers in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oakland, California, are trying to figure out why. In two small studies, they looked at gene expression profiles of women with RA who had similar disease activity pre-pregnancy, and then again during the third trimester and at three months post-partum. They compared these gene profiles to those of healthy women. Researchers found a pre-pregnancy genetic signature that predicted improvement or worsening during pregnancy. They also found differences between the RA and healthy groups in gene expression during the post-partum period. –MARCY O’KOON

Patient Partner Perspective: Shannan O’Hara-Levi attended a couple sessions related to rheumatic conditions and pregnancy. As a patient of child-bearing age, she is concerned about having enough resources and information about family planning with RA but also how any reproductive health legislation impacts rheumatology patients.

 “Rheumatology patients and their rheumatologists need to strengthen their conversations about their reproductive health.” –Shannan O’Hara

Rheumatology patients who plan their pregnancies have better outcomes according to some of the research she heard at ACR, so Shannan wants other patients with RA like her to understand how vital it is to communicate and discuss any family planning with their doctors. She says this states the case for even more support for patient engagement in the decision-making of health care for arthritis.

Is Remission That Important Anyway?

A presentation by members of EULAR (the European League Against Rheumatism), deconstructed remission – that is, the absence of disease activity in inflammatory types of arthritis (such as RA). Titled “The Road to Remission is Long and Bumpy but Worth It in the End,” the presenters first examined how remission is measured. (Doctors use 17 different combinations of function scales, blood markers and joint exam results.) Another presenter looked at the benefits of remission, including better function, less disability and joint damage and longer overall survival – but noted that there is a trade-off between the aggressive treatment needed to achieve remission (more medication, more doctor visits and tests) and the benefits of achieving it. A third presenter examined whether certain medications are better for achieving remission, or if it’s the overall strategy that counts. (Hint: it’s the strategy.) And the last presenter took a look in the crystal ball to see if doctors will be able to predict remission using molecular changes, similar to methods used for certain types of cancer. The answer? Yes, but not yet. –ANDREA KANE

Machine Learning Used to Predict Flares
Doctors cannot predict which RA patients can successfully taper or stop biologics. A group of researchers set out to determine whether a machine could do better. They designed a computer algorithm that used real-world patient clinical data and analyzed variables, such as percentage change in biologic dose, disease activity, disease duration and levels of inflammatory markers. They found that a machine could learn to predict flares after tapering and saw its performance improve as more patients’ clinical data was added. The aim is one day to provide physicians with a reliable tool for guiding decisions about tapering medication. – MARCY O’KOON

Why Sky-High Biologic Prices?
Public spending in the U.S. on biologics almost doubled between 2012 and 2016 due mostly to drug price hikes over those years – not to more people getting access to them, one study found. Natalie McCormick, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Mass General Hospital, and her team analyzed data from Medicare (Parts B and D) and Medicaid. In one analysis, for example, they determined that price increases for 11 biologics accounted for 56% ($1.7 billion) of the increased spending (after adjusting for inflation) in Medicare Part D, compared to 37% ($1.1 billion) for an increase in new users. Adalimumab (Humira) and etanercept (Enbrel), two of the oldest and most widely prescribed biologics, had the biggest increases in price. ––ANDREA KANE

Tapering Biologics When They’re Hard to Get
In the United States, people who take biologics and reach remission are often eager to taper off the medication, but in New Zealand, the decision is difficult, even though it’s recommended by EULAR. In her abstract session, “Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients’ Perspectives on Tapering of Biologics,” Lisa Stamp, PhD, of the University of Otago in Christchurch, explained that fewer biologics are available to people with inflammatory arthritis in New Zealand, where a government agency decides which drugs are subsidized. Patients must try and fail numerous other medications (from methotrexate to gold shots) for many months before qualifying for a subsidized biologic. “These people have been through a lot to get to a biologic,” Stamp said. As a result, they were anxious that if they tapered off it, they wouldn’t be able to get it again if their disease worsened. However, not having to get injections or infusions “makes you feel like you’re well.” Participants wanted to make the decision to taper with their rheumatologist, but better tools are needed to help patients make the decision and feel assured that their needs would be addressed. –JILL TYRER

Inflammatory Arthritis Infection Risks After Joint Replacement
Despite the good safety record of nearly 1 million total hip and knee replacement surgeries performed annually in the U.S., they are not without risk, including infections. A study presented by Susan Goodman, MD, director of the Integrative Rheumatology and Orthopedics Center of Excellence and the medical chief of the Combined Arthritis Program at the Hospital for Special Surgery, showed that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are at a higher risk of developing a prosthetic joint infection compared to those with OA. In addition, the length of time after surgery that patients stayed at risk was longer for those with RA than OA. Dr. Goodman cited several reasons, including the use of medications such as immunosuppressants, having active RA, having disabilities, the implants themselves, tobacco use and revisions of previous implants. – BRYAN D. VARGO

Patient Partner Perspective: Laura Genoves attended this session, which brought up some major concerns for patients with RA like her.

 “Hearing that RA patients have an increased risk of infection after joint replacement surgery made me feel wary.” – Laura Genoves

Laura was glad to learn that researchers are trying to better determine what factors contribute to this increased risk of infection. People with RA must be aware of what can potentially happen post-surgery. All surgeries come with risks associated, but it’s a whole other level of risks to consider for people with RA, so Laura feels like this is definitely something patients should know and discuss with their rheumatologists.

 

OA Patient Guidelines

Arthritis Today’s Snapshots from the ACR Meeting: Part 1

The editors of Arthritis Today magazine were on the scene, collecting news and information to share with readers from the American College of Rheumatology’s (ACR) Annual Meeting, November 9-13, in Atlanta. Here are a few of the many interesting and enlightening research topics they learned about.

Anti-inflammatory Diet Improves Disease
Strawberries, apples, brussel sprouts on a tableThere has long been uncertainty whether diet influences disease activity in inflammatory arthritis. Two studies presented some evidence that it does. In one study, 17 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), defined as at least three tender and three swollen joints, followed an anti-inflammatory diet for two weeks. Blood tests before, during and after measured oxylipins, molecules involved in inflammation, pain and other cellular functions. The diet added turmeric, antioxidants, prebiotics and probiotics. It eliminated pro-inflammatory items, such as lactose (found in diary), gluten and red meat, and improved the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids. The subjects were found to have good diet adherence. After 14 days, a range of disease measures were significantly lower, and tests showed correlation with changes in blood levels of the oxylipins. The authors concluded that diet has the potential to complement medication and improve quality of life for patients with RA.  –MARCY O’KOON

Depression and Resilience
Inflammation has been shown to have a role in depression, but does that make depression an inflammatory disorder? No, emphasized Andrew Miller, MD, a researcher in Emory School of Medicine’s psychiatry department. Depression may be associated with the inflammation that’s at the heart of inflammatory diseases like rheumatic and psoriatic arthritis and lupus, but it’s not associated in otherwise healthy people with depression. (Biologics that have been used to target inflammation in depression have had no effect.)

In the same session, “Mechanisms & Mediators of Psychiatric Comorbidity in Rheumatology,” Afton Hassett, a psychologist and researcher in the University of Michigan’s Chronic Fatigue and Pain Research Center, explored the role of resilience in people with arthritis and pain. People with rheumatic diseases tend to have a more negative outlook than “healthy” people do, but positive emotions – which are key to resilience – are associated with less pain, less need for medications, earlier discharge from the hospital and other positive outcomes. The good news is that resilience can be learned. Hassett described some exercises, including these three: 1) Pick a future point, such as one or five years from now, and imagine being your best self, living to your full potential, then write about it in detail. 2) Every day write down three things for which you are grateful; as time goes on, you’ll become aware of even smaller things to appreciate. 3) Pick a day this week and do five kind things for others and one kind thing for yourself. – JILL TYRER

Patient Partner Perspective: Stacy Courtnay attended this session on pain, depression and anxiety and said it really resonated with her.

 “The more connections you have with people living in a similar situation as you, the better mental and emotional health you will have. Support groups are the key to managing your overall well-being.” – Stacy Courtnay

Stacy says “we need the support of each other” and being involved in the Arthritis Foundation has really helped her to make these connections since it is a big part of the mission. The Live Yes! Arthritis Network has played a huge role in helping her to get connected with people who understand her struggles.

The Problem of Sleeplessness
It’s no surprise to people with arthritis that pain interferes with sleep; research shows that the more significant correlation is that sleeplessness exacerbates pain. Anna Kratz, PhD, of the University of Michigan, and Daniel Whibley, PhD, of the University of Aberdeen in the U.K., discussed effects of poor sleep on people with arthritis and treatments in a session called “No More Counting Sheep: Evidence-Based Sleep Management.” (In fact, Whibley said, it takes 20 minutes longer to fall asleep by counting sheep than by using relaxing visualization.) He discussed the role of the circadian rhythm in different people’s sleeping patterns (“morning larks” vs. “night owls”) and the architecture of a night’s sleep (it’s normal to wake up a couple of times during the night). And he said people with rheumatic diseases typically have poor “sleep efficiency” – they spend more time lying awake relative to sleeping than other people do. Sleep deprivation leads to mental impairments as well as pain and fatigue, and people with sleep problems should be screened for the cause, such as obstructive sleep apnea or chronic insomnia – both of which are common among people with arthritis – or side effects of opioids or other medications.

Good sleep hygiene (getting regular exercise; keeping a dark, quiet bedroom; keeping a regular sleeping schedule; shutting off blue-light electronics, etc.) helps many people, but people with rheumatic disease may need more help. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine discourages the use of sleep medications and recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) as a first-line treatment. In the U.S., however, it’s hard to find people qualified to practice CBTi. (Whibley and Kratz suggested rheumatology practices have someone trained in CBTi.) “The most important thing is to be regular in your sleep-waking patterns, and that includes weekends,” Whibley said. If you don’t sleep well, seek help. “Don’t assume that poor sleep in part of the condition.” –JILL TYRER

Patient Partner Perspective: Cheryl Crow attended this session on sleep, which she stated was a very informative and engaging session. She was surprised by some of the information she learned when it comes to sleep and the rheumatic disease population. Cheryl said having a patient on this sleep panel sharing her story was powerful to witness as a patient herself. 


“Insomnia and obstructive sleep apneas are much more common in the rheumatic disease population than in the average person, and that 37-50% have some sort of disorder. I had no idea. Makes me want to get assessed.” – Cheryl Crow

She was moved to see that so many rheumatology professionals were in the room asking questions to get the patient perspective, demonstrating that patient engagement is crucial in providing better patient care.

Standard PRO Measures Miss Younger Patients
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are routinely used by doctors as well as in research, but Erika Mosor, a researcher at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, found that the standard measures may not get a true view of younger patients. In her session, “When You Read This, You Really Feel Old: Perspectives of Young People with Inflammatory Arthritis on Patient Reported Outcome Measures from a European Qualitative Study,” she reported that patients aged 18 to 35 said the PROMs of daily functioning and other issues “seem like they’re for old people.” They don’t address technology, childcare, social life, sex, loss of friends and other issues relevant to younger patients. Because their concerns are overlooked, results may be skewed so these patients appear to be doing better than they are; some patients said they considered marking worse scores just to get their concerns recognized. PROMs should be more tailored to patients so they can be used more effectively in shared decision-making, Mosor said. – JILL TYRER

 

rheumatoid arthritis research

ELMO1 – More Than Just Your Friendly, Red Sesame Street Character!

Dr. Sanja Arandjelovic has been studying inflammation and arthritis for a while – specifically, how a gene called ELMO1 is related to arthritis symptoms in mice. In 2010, the Arthritis Foundation awarded Dr. Arandjelovic the Philip S. Maaram Esq. Research (Planned Giving) 3-year grant for a project that studied cell enzymes related to joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in mice.

During this study, Dr. Arandjelovic worked with Dr. Kodi Ravichandran and his research team at the University of Virginia on a related project, examining the process of joint inflammation in RA. Their work may provide clues to why the pain flare-ups associated with RA occur – and lead to new treatments.

Continue reading ELMO1 – More Than Just Your Friendly, Red Sesame Street Character!

rheumatology funding

Closing the Gap on the Nation’s Rheumatologist Shortage

Many of us know that access to care isn’t always a guarantee. All too often, seeing a rheumatologist includes traveling out of state because of the severe rheumatologist shortage. Last year we committed to closing this gap by offering Fellowship grants to universities in underserved areas. After careful consideration, we recently selected five schools to receive fellowship grants to help doctors advance in this specialty field. The institutions were offered $150,000 to launch new slots for established fellowship programs.

We are thrilled to be able to offer these awards because of the impact the newly funded positions will have on their communities. Executive Director Kelsey Woods told us this of the grant given to a school in her area, “The University of Washington has long been a partner of the Arthritis Foundation in the fight to both control and cure this debilitating disease. We are so proud to continue to fund a rheumatology fellowship right here in Seattle at the UW. Healthcare access is and must continue to be a top priority in the region, and this investment is confirmation that we will continue to fight for that.”

Three adult and two pediatric rheumatology fellowships have been offered and accepted by the follow programs:

Continue reading Closing the Gap on the Nation’s Rheumatologist Shortage

carra grants 2018

Spring 2018 Childhood Research Grants Announced

We recently gave approximately $160,000 toward childhood arthritis research in the form of research grants. The grants are funded through the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA); small grants were given to pediatric rheumatologists and fellows small grant research awards were given to third year fellowship students.

Continue reading Spring 2018 Childhood Research Grants Announced

dr christian lattermann

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Christian Lattermann

Osteoarthritis Center of Excellence Research Story

Over the last month, we’ve kept you updated on the work being done by the researchers in our osteoarthritis (OA) center of excellence (OA COE). The COE is currently funding three Clinical Trial Network demonstration studies that may lead to better diagnosis and earlier treatments for arthritis. Researchers from six different institutions will collaborate in various aspects of these cutting-edge studies. This is the last in a series of three blogs describing these studies.

Most people with partial or complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) develop post traumatic OA (PTOA) within 10 to 20 years after their injury. Unfortunately, current ACL injury treatment options (both surgical and non-surgical) are successful in the short-term but do little or nothing to reduce the risk of developing PTOA later.

All three of the current OA COE are demonstration projects that build on knowledge gained from earlier foundation-funded ACL and PTOA research.

Continue reading Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Christian Lattermann

dr virginia byers kraus osteoarthritis research

Researchers on the Path to a Cure – Spotlight on Dr. Virginia Byers Kraus

Osteoarthritis Center of Excellence Research Story

Our osteoarthritis (OA) center of excellence (COE) is currently funding three Clinical Trial Network demonstration studies that may lead to better diagnosis and earlier treatments for OA. Researchers from six different institutions will collaborate in various aspects of these cutting-edge studies. The three studies are connected to one another for a common purpose and they build on previous research funded by the Arthritis Foundation. This is the second in a series of three blogs describing these studies. Read the first one here.

Dr. Virginia Byers Kraus is working to identify biochemical biomarkers found in synovial (joint) fluid and urine from post-traumatic OA patients who have suffered anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture. The samples used for this study come from samples collected from a 2013 Arthritis Foundation-funded project that validated using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to measure the molecular changes that begin to occur in joints immediately after an ACL tear.

Urine and synovial fluid (from damaged knee joints) were collected from patients at five timepoints: baseline (less than 4 weeks after the joint injury), during surgery (about 6 weeks after the injury), 6 weeks after surgery, 6 months after surgery, and 1 year after surgery. The analysis of the 177 urine samples and 101 synovial fluid samples will take about 6 months.

The goal of this project is to evaluate which biochemical markers are connected to inflammation and cartilage breakdown following ACL rupture. The team is working to identify which biomarkers are most critical for predicting risk of OA after injury and to confirm the earliest and best timepoints to start treatments.

“With heart attacks, we treat immediately for best results,” explained Dr. Kraus. “We’re hoping to show that the same is true for joint injuries. What is important is the time from the injury to medical intervention. We must treat early to prevent further damage. What we currently see is that about half of the patients who have surgery for an ACL tear eventually develop more serious disease.”

By identifying biomarkers that appear early following an injury and by using more sensitive MRI imaging techniques, researchers hope to identify the individuals at highest risk for more serious joint disease and to determine the “window of opportunity” for providing treatment to prevent subsequent OA. Earlier interventions might include new drugs designed to halt the disease process and other anti-inflammatory drugs, thus reducing the need for joint replacements later and improving the quality of life.

Dr. Kraus was inspired to study OA by her father. Her father, a surgeon during the Vietnam War, damaged his hip and as a result endured 3 hip replacements over the rest of his life. While her father continued working into his 70’s, Dr. Kraus felt frustrated watching his daily suffering and the suffering of her clinic patients. It’s pushed her to want to make a difference and stop OA in its tracks.

“Osteoarthritis is a big and challenging beast -it’s the most prevalent disease in the world,” she explained. “It affects mobility, which in turn affects your heart and many other aspects of your health. We’ve begun to see success in understanding many types of arthritis, but up to now, we haven’t been as successful with OA. It’s so frustrating for me to see the suffering caused by this disease.”

We’re so proud to call Dr. Kraus a Champion of Yes.  She explained why she likes to submit her research projects to us: “The Arthritis Foundation has stayed the course in maintaining prolonged interest in finding a cure. It has worked at building on prior innovative research – it’s hard to get funding for these types of studies. The Foundation has created a nimble mechanism for doing this type of research and moving it forward faster. This brings us closer to finding cures for patients more quickly.”

Dr. Kraus, the principal investigator in this project, is a professor of Medicine, Pathology and Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University in Durham, NC. She will be working with other researchers from Duke University, as well as researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in NYC, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

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