The following is a press release issued by ACR on March 25, 2024: The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) today expressed strong support for several key measures included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget. The budget allocates crucial funding to the Department of Defense’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) for research on arthritis risks, outcomes, and treatments among service members; secures a significant funding increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the cornerstone of medical research in the United States; and extends the Conrad 30 program ..read more

The following is a press release issued by the ACR on March 11, 2024: The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) applauds Congress for passing legislation to mitigate the 3.4 percent reduction in physician payments outlined in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule for CY2024 but also calls on policymakers to seek long-term systemic policy changes that will provide more stability and predictability for providers. “While we commend Congress for this partial fix, rheumatologists remain concerned that without long-term reform to the Medicare payment system, maintaining access to qu ..read more

One of the things I’ve shared a decent amount in talks or research work I’ve done is the need for the medical community to learn about the LGBTQ+ community. I know great providers who openly support the community or are a part of it themselves. I also know providers who know nothing about the community. Why is this a problem? Because they’re missing opportunities to understand & work with our lives and to make connections that we know will positively impact patient engagement. I won’t lie — it’s been frustrating to see rheumatologists and the field in general not wade into s ..read more

A new article on Medriva helps break down Still’s Disease. Read more here. The post Understanding Still’s Disease appeared first on Not Standing Stills Disease ..read more

As many of you know, I recently had the honor of working with the American College of Rheumatology and pediatric rheumatologists. Our team developed a series of parent and family-focused handouts covering a range of topics, from practical tips for managing daily activities to emotional support strategies and more. You can view those handouts here. On Thursday, February 8, at 8 pm Eastern Time, I’ll be hosting a Facebook Live walkthrough of these resources. If you’d like to join, please RSVP on the Facebook Event page or visit the Not Standing Still’s Disease Facebook Page as the event starts ..read more

Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) is a known complication of many rheumatic diseases. It can be hard to treat and get into remission. One study published on December 21, 2023, digs deep into one possible treatment. Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKis) include drugs such as Tofacitinib, Baricitinib, Peficitinib, Upadacitinib, and Filgotinib. After exploring JAKis, the study calls for more research. Read the full article below. Sapountzi E, Fotis L, Kotanidou E, et al. (December 21, 2023) Janus Kinase Inhibitors and Interstitial Lung Disease Associated With Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases: An Unexplored F ..read more

A journal article published on December 20, 2023, shows the discovery of a new MAS warning sign. Intermediate monocytes produce TNF and IL-1B. Medications, such as TNF-inhibitors and IL-1B inhibitors, help suppress the ongoing inflammatory responses these IMs bring. IMs are also known to increase inflammation within the cardiovascular system. This may be a part of why many rheumatic patients also have cardiovascular disease. For people with adult-onset Still’s (AOSD) specifically, there was an uptick in the measured IMs leading up to and during MAS events. This could help explain why the IL-1B ..read more

The following is a press release issued by the ACR on December 14, 2023: Full title: ACR Applauds Lawmakers for First-Time Dedicated Arthritis Research Funds in the National Defense Authorization Act Today, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) celebrates the first new medical research line item in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) in eight years for arthritis research under the Department of Defense’s (DoD) C recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2024. “Investment in arthritis research will not only benefit those s ..read more

Brittany M. Huynh, MD, MPH, presented an abstract at ACR Convergence of her paper, Adolescent and Young Adult Rheumatology Patient Reports of Reproductive Health Screening and Counseling in the Clinical Setting. In this paper, Huynh and her colleagues found that only 38% of pediatric rheumatologists were screening patients between 14-23 years of age for sexual activity. Only 17% of patients surveyed had conversations with their rheumy about pregnancy prevention. Thankfully, this number was higher for the 36% of surveyed patients that were on teratogenic drugs — those that would harm a fetus. 5 ..read more

Earlier this year, rheumatologists at EULAR reached a consensus that Adult-Onset Still’s Disease and Systemic-Onset JIA are the same disease. A new study using data from the International AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance Network registry has proved this decision correct. Despite some minor differences across age groups, this is in fact the same disease. You can read the full journal article on the BMJ. The post The Still’s disease Continuum appeared first on Not Standing Stills Disease ..read more