https://medicalxpress.com/rheumatology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Rheumatology A drug called Tavneos, used to treat rare autoimmune diseases, will be pulled from shelves in France, the country's medicine watchdog said Wednesday, after it was linked to 20 deaths in Japan. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-france-recalls-rare-disease-drug.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:40:04 EDT news706364919 Calcinosis cutis is a condition that causes calcium deposits in a person's skin or soft tissues. These deposits can occur anywhere in the body and, depending on their location, can be disabling for patients. For example, deposits on the spine or buttocks can make sitting difficult for patients; deposits on the hands can make it painful for people to do routine activities, like eating or bathing. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-calcinosis-cutis-treatment.html Wed, 19 Aug 2026 07:40:01 EDT news706342741 A study published in JCI Insight and led by Northwestern Medicine scientists has uncovered new clues about why people with systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma, frequently develop debilitating esophageal complications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cellular-clues-complications-scleroderma.html Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:20:07 EDT news706164301 When a new life begins to grow in the mother's womb, the immune system must perform a demanding balancing act: It must tolerate the fetus, which is genetically half foreign, and at the same time protect the mother from infection. For most pregnant women, this happens without any problems. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-pregnancy-immune-burden-women-arthritis.html Thu, 13 Aug 2026 15:20:06 EDT news705850842 Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have found that pediatric-onset rheumatic and inflammatory diseases have distinct genetic architecture compared with those in adults. The findings, published today in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, could pave the way for advances that have benefited adult patients with similar conditions, such as better disease classification and the development of precision therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-key-genetic-differences-pediatric-adult.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:50:02 EDT news705753108 A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has shown that inflammatory arthritis occurring as a side effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors behaves like an immune-memory disease, suggesting that certain immune cell populations could serve as biomarkers or targets for therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-scientists-uncover-drivers-recurrent-arthritis.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:20:07 EDT news705747303 Researchers at the Kennedy Institute have discovered that some joints may be more susceptible to inflammatory arthritis before birth, offering new insight into why rheumatoid arthritis attacks particular joints while sparing others. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-arthritis-birth.html Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:00:07 EDT news705742923 A study initiated by the European Spondyloarthritis Research Collaboration Network (EuroSpA) examined whether patients' countries of residence are associated with the severity of their psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), when they begin advanced treatment and how long they continue that treatment. Findings in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, found evidence that patients from wealthier European countries tend to start treatment with biologics earlier but also stop or switch treatment earlier. They also experience lower disease activity at treatment start than patients in middle- and low-income countries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-socioeconomic-status-treatment-duration-arthritis.html Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:40:06 EDT news705679177 Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) affects more than 1 in 10 people older than 40, impairing patients' mobility and quality of life. With limited treatment options, stem cell injections have been promoted as a treatment, but clinical trial evidence of efficacy is often lacking, despite claims from clinics selling untested options. Even where well-designed clinical trials have been performed, there is no clear consensus about the benefits of stem cell injections for KOA, likely because of the many variables at play. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-variable-outcomes-stem-cell-knee.html Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:40:01 EDT news705301681 A study shows that exposure to air pollution, especially fine particulate matter like dust, soot and smoke (PM2.5), is associated with increased disease activity and flare risk in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-air-pollution-linked-spikes-rheumatoid.html Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:10:02 EDT news704968383 Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterized by eosinophilia, an abnormal increase in eosinophils—a type of white blood cell—and inflammation of small blood vessels across multiple organs, which can lead to organ damage. The disease is often preceded by asthma or chronic rhinosinusitis and has been designated an intractable disease in Japan. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-insights-genetic-architecture-rare-inflammatory.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:40:05 EDT news704977716 Microbiology researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have discovered why patients with the autoimmune disease lupus are susceptible to serious bacterial infections. Their new study published in Cell Press Blue shows that lupus-associated inflammatory signals can reprogram white blood cells, rendering them less effective against Staphylococcus aureus infection. Instead of producing the most protective antibacterial response, these neutrophils shift toward a less effective form of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-lupus-linked-immune-misdirection-patients.html Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:40:03 EDT news704980201 Ever notice how chatbots often insist on making up an answer instead of admitting defeat? Like a student desperately scribbling nonsense to avoid handing in a blank page, large language models (LLMs) seem to live by the make-it-up-as-you-go principle. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-egot-ai-dots-domains.html Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:05 EDT news704701261 New genetic risk factors have been identified for fibromyalgia syndrome in a landmark study that involved scientists at King's College London. The study, published in Nature Medicine, highlights how the nervous system plays an important role in the development of the disorder. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-genetic-factors-fibromyalgia-largest-kind.html Tue, 28 Jul 2026 05:00:03 EDT news704366821 Colorado is one of a handful of states with a review board for drug prices and one of only four with a board empowered to set upper limits on what state agencies, insurers and other purchasers may pay or be reimbursed for certain high-cost drugs dispensed to patients in the state. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-colorado-state-cap-drug-price.html Sat, 25 Jul 2026 17:00:01 EDT news703772768 Millions of people worldwide suffer from osteoporosis, a disease marked by progressive bone loss, weakened skeletal strength and increased fracture risk. Healthy bone is maintained through continuous remodeling, where osteoblasts build new bone and osteoclasts remove old or damaged bone. Under normal conditions, these processes remain balanced. However, when osteoclast activity becomes excessive, bone resorption outpaces bone formation, leading to osteoporosis and other osteolytic disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-inflammation-caspase-unexpected-role-bone.html Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:40:09 EDT news704114641 For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the timing of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor initiation relative to administration of recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) can affect early response and arthritis control, according to a research letter published online July 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-jak-shingles-vaccine-administration-affect.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 19:00:01 EDT news703868997 A study published online in the open-access journal RMD Open has linked specific imbalances and disruptions in the oral microbiome to symptomatic hand arthritis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-imbalances-oral-microbiome-linked-symptomatic.html Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:30:05 EDT news703851062 Many fractures are early-warning signs of osteoporosis. Yet in everyday clinical care, they often go unrecognized and undocumented as warning signs, according to a new nationwide Austrian study by the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Osteology (LBI Osteology). Men are affected more often. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-bone-fractures-unlinked-osteoporosis.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:40:01 EDT news703758983 Interferon alpha is an inflammatory mediator that can cause Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease. This was revealed in a study carried out by University Hospital Bonn together with the University of Bonn, the University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University. Their findings, published in the journal Lancet Rheumatology, could make it easier in the medium term to develop drugs to fight this chronic condition. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-interferon-alpha-sjgren-disease-patients.html Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:40:08 EDT news703760456 Melatonin is best known for helping us sleep. But a new study suggests it might have another surprising use: easing muscle and joint pain. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-melatonin-ease-chronic-muscle-joint.html Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:20:01 EDT news703422721 For patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), bimekizumab, a dual interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F inhibitor, is well tolerated over three years, according to a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-bimekizumab-tolerated-efficacious-years-axial.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:40:07 EDT news702823753 New preliminary clinical data presented at ISSCR 2026 evaluated an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived CAR T-cell therapy for patients with treatment-resistant systemic sclerosis, a rare autoimmune disease with high mortality. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-highlight-shelf-ipsc-derived-car.html Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:30:04 EDT news702720913 Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have longer persistence with upadacitinib than tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), according to a study published online June 23 in Rheumatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-longer-persistence-upadacitinib-tumor-necrosis.html Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:20:07 EDT news702563364 A new international expert consensus statement published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine provides guidance for doctors on how to identify, monitor and treat a serious lung complication that affects many people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-expert-aim-lung-disease-people.html Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:00:01 EDT news702187441 Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) contribute significantly to the disability and health care burden in Europe, but until now there has been no harmonized, specific data set to help systematically compare differences in rheumatology workforces, health resources and access to care across nations. This is important because aspects of both individual and societal burdens may be preventable with early diagnosis and prompt care. RheumaFacts aims to change that by bringing together results from 36 countries to establish a new benchmark. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-07-framework-advocate-quality-life-people.html Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:40:01 EDT news702129242 Scientists at UT Health San Antonio, the academic health center of The University of Texas at San Antonio, have found a link between a bacterium in the gut microbiome (ecosystem) and lupus that could lead to more effective treatment of the disease, described in a study published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-potential-probiotic-treatment-lupus.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 18:00:03 EDT news701626442 Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) without lupus nephritis (LN) have increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality, according to a study published June 16 in Rheumatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-patients-lupus-chronic-kidney-disease.html Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:40:04 EDT news701611795 In autoimmune disorders, immune cells targeting "self" proteins are mistakenly activated, resulting in abnormal expansion and responsiveness. These disorders are known to reduce patients' quality of life over a prolonged period. This can be attributed to CD4+ T cells, which play a key role in inducing persistent inflammation, recruiting other immune cells, including antibody-producing B cells, and inflicting tissue damage. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-immune-cellfibroblast-crosstalk-key-trigger.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:40:02 EDT news701536083 Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) have identified a specialized population of immune cells that plays a central role in driving abnormal tissue growth in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), offering new insight into disease progression and potential treatment strategies. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, reveals that a subset of immune cells known as SPP1ʰⁱ macrophages works in tandem with structural cells and protein scaffolds to promote excessive tissue expansion in the joints of patients with RA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-hidden-mechanism-joint-tissue-growth.html Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:20:01 EDT news701531835