PsA Research Briefs: Diabetes, Surgery, Fibromyalgia
Keep up-to-date on the latest psoriatic arthritis (PsA) research with our brief research summaries.
Having PsA may increase your risk of diabetes, according to recent research. In a study of 1,305 PsA patients seen in a large specialty clinic between January 1978 and November 2014, Canadian researchers found their risk of developing diabetes was 43% higher than for the general population. The risk was greatest among those with the highest levels of PsA activity, suggesting inflammation may be a common thread in the two diseases.
Source: The Journal of Rheumatology, published online February 2017
Stopping biologics months before elective surgery may not be necessary to reduce infection risk as was once believed. In a study of 4,288 patients who underwent elective hip or knee surgery, stopping infliximab just 4 weeks before surgery presented no more infection risk than stopping the drug 8 to 12 weeks before surgery. The patients were receiving infliximab for one of several diagnoses including PsA, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Source: Arthritis Care & Research, published online January 2017
Living with PsA can be hard, but having fibromyalgia along with PsA may be even harder, a recent study suggests. Israeli researchers assessed several measures of disease activity and quality of life in 73 patients with PsA – 13 of whom were determined to also have fibromyalgia. The patients with fibromyalgia scored lower on measures of general health and higher on measures of disease activity than those with PsA alone. These findings suggest fibromyalgia should be taken into consideration when designing a treatment program for PsA.
Source: The Journal of Rheumatology, September 2016
PsA Increases Diabetes Risk
Having PsA may increase your risk of diabetes, according to recent research. In a study of 1,305 PsA patients seen in a large specialty clinic between January 1978 and November 2014, Canadian researchers found their risk of developing diabetes was 43% higher than for the general population. The risk was greatest among those with the highest levels of PsA activity, suggesting inflammation may be a common thread in the two diseases.
Source: The Journal of Rheumatology, published online February 2017
Stopping Biologics Before Surgery
Stopping biologics months before elective surgery may not be necessary to reduce infection risk as was once believed. In a study of 4,288 patients who underwent elective hip or knee surgery, stopping infliximab just 4 weeks before surgery presented no more infection risk than stopping the drug 8 to 12 weeks before surgery. The patients were receiving infliximab for one of several diagnoses including PsA, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Source: Arthritis Care & Research, published online January 2017
Fibromyalgia Complicates PsA
Living with PsA can be hard, but having fibromyalgia along with PsA may be even harder, a recent study suggests. Israeli researchers assessed several measures of disease activity and quality of life in 73 patients with PsA – 13 of whom were determined to also have fibromyalgia. The patients with fibromyalgia scored lower on measures of general health and higher on measures of disease activity than those with PsA alone. These findings suggest fibromyalgia should be taken into consideration when designing a treatment program for PsA.
Source: The Journal of Rheumatology, September 2016