ArthritisDigest2013
Young people with arthritis choose treatments that “make life normal”
Y
oung people with arthritis make treatment decisions based on how the treatment will affect their appearance, social life and physical and mental well-being, says new research. The small study, which will be presented at the British Society for Rheumatology’s conference Rheumatology 2014, suggests that young people are concerned about whether treatments could threaten their day-to-day life.
Inflammatory arthritis can need aggressive treatment including the use of biologic therapies. For young people, making these crucial treatment decisions comes at a difficult time in their personal and disease development. It is vital that the right decision is made because these decisions can have major consequences. Continue reading
Back, neck and muscle problems are hurting the UK economy
Back, neck and muscle pain caused 31 million sick days last year, says a new report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). A total of 131 million days were lost due to sickness absences in the UK in 2013 – down from 178 million days in 1993 – but the majority were due to musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.
Minor illnesses such as the common cold accounted for 27 million lost days, but MSKs were more likely to recur and develop into long-term conditions. Continue reading
Lupus rates in US may be double previous estimates
Kelle Bryan, formerly of Eternal, is working to raise the profile of lupus
Lupus in the US may be twice as common as was thought, suggests research published in Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Two studies, believed to be the most accurate data to date, conclude that 128.7 in every 100,000 women in the US have lupus.
By looking at records of 4 million people, the experts were able to estimate the number of people with a new or existing lupus diagnosis from 2002 to 2004. They found that the condition is more common in women and in black people. Continue reading
Acupuncture could be promising for treatment of inflammatory disease
Acupuncture could be used to tackle the physical processes that lead to sepsis and could be very effective for people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, says research published in Nature Medicine.
Sepsis is a potentially fatal whole-body inflammation that is caused by severe infection and is a major cause of death in hospitals.
“In many cases patients don’t die because of the infection,” says Dr Luis Ulloa who led the study. “They die because of the inflammatory disorder they develop after the infection. So we hoped to study how to control the inflammatory disorder.” Continue reading
Splinting finger joints at night can reduce osteoarthritis pain and deformity
People with osteoarthritis that affects their finger joints could benefit from the use of splints overnight, says research published in Rheumatology.
Arthritis in the joints of the fingers is often painful, debilitating and can lead to deformity. Few cost-effective, evidence-based therapy options are available.
So UK experts gave 26 people with painful, deforming hand osteoarthritis custom-made splints, which they wore every night for three months. Assessments were carried out at the start of the study and after three and six months. Continue reading
