Researchers in the U.K. report that non-restorative sleep is the strongest, independent predictor of widespread pain onset among adults over the age of 50. According to the study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology (formerly Arthritis…
chronic fatigue syndrome
A detailed guide to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), including its symptoms, causes, and effective treatment strategies to improve energy and well-being.
New Studies Showed Mixed-But-Promising Results for New Lupus Drug Anifrolumab
Lupus patients have been waiting a while for some good news. Only one drug, belimumab (Benlysta), has been FDA-approved for lupus in more than 50 years — and that happened back in 2011. Since then,…
Nearly Half of Giant Cell Arteritis Patients on Actemra for a Year Stay in Remission After Stopping It
“Giant cell arteritis requires ongoing management, but it does not necessarily require continuous treatment.” In 2017, tocilizumab (Actemra), a biologic drug that inhibits interleukin-6 (IL-6), was FDA-approved for giant cell arteritis — an inflammation of…
Vagus Nerve Stimulation: A New Way to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis
Some people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) take a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) and/or a biologic and reach remission. Others try drug after drug after drug and never find one that’s effective — or that treats…
Taking Hydroxychloroquine for RA or Lupus Can Reduce Heart Risk by 17%
The anti-malarial drug lowers cholesterol and blood sugar makes blood less sticky, which is good for reducing blood clots and heart attack risk. If you take the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) as part of your…
More Than 75% of Arthritis Patients Don’t Get Hepatitis Screening Before Starting a Biologic
Screening is important because silent hepatitis B and C infections can spring to life when you start biologics or new synthetic DMARDs. Before you start taking a biologic drug or one of the new targeted…
Nearly 40% of Fibromyalgia Patients May Have a History of Being Abused
A new study adds support to the theory that psychological stress might increase the risk of fibromyalgia and make symptoms worse. No one knows what causes fibromyalgia but some experts believe that stress may be…
Could the Weather Affect Lupus Symptoms? New Study Suggests Warm, Humid Weather Does
As the temperature increased, so did the risk of rash, joint inflammation, kidney problems, and other lupus symptoms. Shifts in weather patterns have long been associated with a variety of health ailments, from seasonal allergies…
Have Asthma or COPD? You Could Have a Higher Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Researchers hope that identifying the link between respiratory issues and RA will result in better ways to prevent or screen for rheumatoid arthritis in people with lung disease. You may have already heard that people…
If You’re in Remission on a DMARD for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Should You Taper? Here’s What New Research Says
New data compares what happens when the dosage of DMARDs such as methotrexate is tapered or kept steady. For most rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, sustained remission (inactive disease) is the goal of taking methotrexate or…