Category Archives: Treatments

Biologics Rheumatoid Arthritis Cancer

Biologics Appear Safe for Some Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Who’ve Had Cancer

Researchers set out to answer a pressing question: Is it safe for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who have had cancer in the past to use a biologic drug rather than a traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), like methotrexate, to control their disease? Their answer, detailed in a study recently published online in the journal Rheumatology, is reassuring. They found that patients with a previous malignancy who later took certain biologics did not appear to have an increased risk of cancer after an average of five years, compared to those who took a traditional DMARD.
Continue reading Biologics Appear Safe for Some Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Who’ve Had Cancer

Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcomes Lifestyle

Outlook Brighter For People With Rheumatoid Arthritis

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are likely to have a much better quality of life today than they did two decades ago. Researchers in the Netherlands observed more than 1,100 patients diagnosed with RA between 1990 and 2011. They attribute the gains to earlier diagnosis, more aggressive medications and a greater emphasis on overall well-being. Their findings were published in Arthritis Care & Research in 2014.

Lead author Cecile Overman, a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, says she and her colleagues wanted to determine if improved treatments over the last 20 years led to better physical and psychological health for RA patients. Continue reading Outlook Brighter For People With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Biomarker Tests Rheumatoid Arthritis

Biomarker Tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis Improve Care

Early detection and aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are vital to prevent joint damage. To spot RA and measure its progression, rheumatologists test the blood for certain biomarkers that are characteristic of RA. Although several biomarker tests – the erythrocyte sedimentation (sed) rate, the C-reactive protein (CRP), and rheumatoid factor (RF) – indicate inflammation, they are fairly non-specific to RA. So, the development of more specific biomarker tests is important. These tests allow earlier detection of RA and also pave the way for more customized care.

Below are descriptions of more specific biomarker tests that are being used to diagnose and monitor RA disease activity.

Continue reading Biomarker Tests for Rheumatoid Arthritis Improve Care

Future Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy: Nerve Stimulation

New research suggests that electrical impulses may one day be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Neurosurgeon Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y., discovered that stimulating the vagus nerve, which extends from the brain stem to the stomach, could control the inflammation that is central to RA.

In healthy people, the nervous system, including the vagus nerve, maintains key bodily functions within a safe zone. One of the vagus nerve’s jobs is to control the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a molecule that triggers inflammation. But in people with RA, the vagus nerve doesn’t keep TNF levels within the safe zone.

Continue reading Future Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy: Nerve Stimulation

Jakinibs Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Will Jakinibs Change Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment?

An emerging class of medications called janus kinase inhibitors (JAK inhibitors, or jakinibs) is offering new hope to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who don’t find relief with other treatments.

What are Jakinibs?

Jakinibs are a new class of medication, sometimes called oral biologics. The word “biologic” is misleading, however, because jakinibs work in an entirely different way than the biologics that have been used to date. Jakinibs are small molecules that work inside cells. Traditional biologics such as etanercept (Enbrel), adalimumab (Humira), abatacept (Orencia) and Infliximab (Remicade) block pro-inflammatory cytokines from outside.

Jakinibs are taken by mouth. Traditional biologics are given through infusions or injections.

Continue reading Will Jakinibs Change Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment?