We asked our readers and followers “What are your go-to shoe types/brands for your rheumatoid arthritis?” Here are their answers.I wear Easy Spirit clogs. Most important for me is that the shoes have a high toe box. My crooked hammer toes love them. And, as your feet swell during the day, this easy on/off is perfect. You can just slip your feet out to cool them off —Shirley Hoffman, via Facebook I like Brooks running shoes. I don’t run, but they are the most comfortable for me to wear on a daily basis. —Alecia Fishburn, via Facebook I wear Nike flip-flops every day, all year long and also wear ..read more

Keep up-to-date on the latest rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research with our brief research summaries. Lung Disease More Likely with RA Rheumatoid arthritis may increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease that makes breathing difficult, a new study shows. A Canadian study, which analyzed data from 24,265 patients with RA and 25,396 controls, found that people with RA had a 47% greater risk of being hospitalized for COPD than members of the general population. SOURCE: Arthritis Care & Research, published online October, 2017 Remission Less Li ..read more

Keep up-to-date on the latest rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research with our brief research summaries.  Vitamin D Deficiency Associ­ated with Neuropathic Pain People with RA who suffer from neuro­pathic pain – or, understandably, are try­ing to avoid it – may do well to have their vitamin D levels checked. A study examined neuropathic pain indicators as well as blood samples of 93 patients with RA. The researchers found the prevalence of neuro­pathic pain was almost six times higher in patients with serum vitamin D levels below 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) than in patients with vitami ..read more

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) tops the American College of Sports Medicine’s list of most popular workouts. According to a small study published in Arthritis Research & Therapy, it might be just the ticket for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), too. HIIT is an aerobic, heart-pumping form of exercise where short bursts of maximum effort, usually lasting from 20 to 60 seconds, alternate with less intense recovery periods. Studies suggest that HIIT is as effective at burning calories and improving heart and lung health as steady-state exercises like running or biking. One 2018 meta-analysis ..read more

Meditation is good for your soul. Research shows it can also help ease pain caused by all types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and osteoarthritis (OA). For centuries, meditation has been used to help focus the mind and soothe the spirit. But scientific evidence suggests this ancient practice – particularly a modern form known as mindfulness meditation or mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) – offers a variety of health benefits, including relief for chronic joint pain and skin disorders like psoriasis. The Research People with psoriasis were i ..read more

People with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who haven’t responded well to one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor medications now have a new option. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved baricitinib (Olumiant), a pill that is taken once a day. Baricitinib is a targeted disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) that blocks Janus kinase (JAK), a group of enzymes that enable inflammatory signals to be activated inside a cell. It’s the second in this class of drug to hit the market for the treatment of RA; tofacitinib (Xeljanz) was the first, appro ..read more

Keep up-to-date on the latest rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research with our brief research summaries. Tofacitinib Plus Methotrexate May Work As Well As Biologic If methotrexate (MTX) alone fails to control RA, adding the oral Janus kinase (JAX) inhibitor tofacitinib (Xeljanz) may be as effective as the standard practice of adding a biologic. The JAX inhibitor belongs to the third category of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) called targeted DMARDs. In a study of 1,146 patients with rheumatoid arthritis that had not adequately responded to MTX alone, approximately a third were switch ..read more

For some women with RA, pregnancy brings on an unexpected bonus: improved symptoms. Approximately 70% of women with RA experience improved symptoms in the second trimester that can last through the first 6 weeks after delivery, says J. Bruce Smith, MD, assistant compliance officer for research at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a rheumatologist whose research has focused largely on autoimmune disease and pregnancy. There are several theories why disease symptoms improve, including increased anti-inflammatory cytokine levels and hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Exac ..read more

Keep up-to-date on the latest rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research with our brief research summaries. Smoking, Obesity Make RA Harder to Control Remission in RA patients can be harder to achieve in those who are overweight or smoke, according to a recent study. American and Canadian researchers who collected data on more than 1,100 patients receiving standard treatment for RA found that sex (being female), excess weight and smoking were not significantly associated with symptom severity early on. However, all three factors influenced how much symptoms improved over time. The most dramatic differ ..read more

Keep up-to-date on the latest rheumatoid arthritis (RA) research with our brief research summaries. Obesity Reduces Odds of RA Remission Research suggests weight may be a factor in whether people with RA will achieve disease remission. A review of studies screened a total 3,368 patient records. Canadian researchers found obese patients with RA were less likely to achieve remission or sustain remission compared to healthy-weight patients. Obesity, they reported, negatively impacts disease activity and patient-reported outcomes during therapy. Therefore, they say, interventions to reduce BMI sho ..read more