https://medicalxpress.com/rheumatology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Rheumatology An international multidisciplinary group of 31 experts has updated consensus recommendations to guide the use of CAR T-cell therapy in patients with severe, treatment-refractory autoimmune diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-international-consensus-framework-car-cell.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 18:00:07 EDT news710518081 Nearly 1 in 3 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are taking a supplement-medication combination with potential for an interaction, according to a study published online Sept. 22 in Arthritis Care & Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-lupus-supplements-medications-potential-interactions.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:40:15 EDT news710517781 For patients with inflammatory arthritis, holding certain disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), namely select biologic or Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) therapies, for two weeks at the time of a supplemental COVID-19 vaccine dose does not enhance humoral immunogenicity, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Internal Medicine. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-arthritis-drugs-covid-vaccination-flare.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:13 EDT news710517421 A multicenter study led by researchers at Sultan Qaboos University has found that patients with a rare inherited form of lupus may continue to accumulate organ damage even when conventional measures indicate that their disease activity has declined. According to the research team, this represents the largest longitudinal cohort of DNASE1L3 deficiency reported to date. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-inherited-lupus-early-silently.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:00:05 EDT news710515802 Researchers from University of Michigan Health have mapped the cellular path of inflammation after UV exposure in lupus patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-insights-sun-lupus-patients-sick.html Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:00:18 EDT news710509261 More than a decade of work by two University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic faculty members and their student researchers has led to a newly patented process that allows for the easy detection of an amino acid linked to multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and potentially cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-chemistry-professors-patent-amino-acid.html Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:40:01 EDT news710057882 An international research team has discovered a previously unknown mechanism that plays a key role in the signaling pathways involved in programmed cell death. The team identified the protein HERC4 as an essential component of both TNF-induced necroptosis and apoptosis pathways—two processes that play a crucial role in maintaining cellular balance and triggering inflammatory responses. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-piece-cell-death-inflammation-pathway.html Mon, 28 Sep 2026 15:40:16 EDT news709826379 Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a contradictory molecule in immunology. It helps the liver regenerate after injury and protects against infections, yet it also drives chronic inflammation in rheumatic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and atherosclerosis. Current drugs block IL-6 across the board: They protect against inflammation but also switch off its beneficial functions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-treatment-interleukin-driven-diseases-refined.html Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:20:12 EDT news709554181 People with early inflammatory arthritis could benefit from faster and more accurate diagnosis following a major international study that has established, for the first time, age-specific ultrasound standards to distinguish normal joint changes from the earliest signs of disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-international-standards-arthritis-ultrasound-diagnosis.html Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:00:01 EDT news709365121 For patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), rheumatic immune-related adverse events (rh-irAEs) are usually moderate or severe, with more than one-third leading to permanent ICI discontinuation, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in ACR Open Rheumatology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rheumatic-immune-adverse-events-checkpoint.html Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:00:01 EDT news709311422 Lupus patients can significantly decrease their risk of heart disease if they consistently take their medication, a new study says. People with lupus had a higher risk of heart disease if they didn't consistently take hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the most common treatment for the disease, researchers report in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-lupus-patients-heart-disease-common.html Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:20:06 EDT news709200263 Chronic pain, including arthritis pain, affects more than one-third of U.K. adults. Current painkillers such as methotrexate and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) work by damping down the immune system, which is overproducing inflammatory agents that cause pain, but relief is often short-lived and incomplete, and they can leave patients more vulnerable to infection. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-body-warmth-sensor-secretly-pain.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:07 EDT news708863822 Despite having an overactive immune system, people with lupus may still struggle to fight bacterial infections. My team and I found that this paradox may result from chronic inflammation pushing their immune cells toward the wrong kind of response. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-overactive-immune-bodies-people-lupus.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:40:12 EDT news708774002 Early, consistently managed treatment can have a decisive impact on the course of rheumatoid arthritis and prevent permanent joint damage. An international review led by Josef S. Smolen of the Medical University of Vienna highlights, based on current research, which diagnostic and therapeutic measures are crucial for a good outcome in patients with this disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rheumatoid-arthritis-diagnosis-early-treatment.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 22:00:01 EDT news708348967 Why do genetic variants that increase the risk of autoimmune disease remain so common in the population? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-antiviral-defense-gained-autoimmunity.html Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:20:01 EDT news708343982 Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is an inflammatory condition that causes chronic back pain and, if left untreated, can lead to fusion of the spinal or sacroiliac joints. The condition frequently remains underdiagnosed, with some studies suggesting that diagnosis can be delayed by up to 14 years. A new set of recommendations published in ACR Open Rheumatology aims to help improve the diagnosis of axSpA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-patients-rheumatologist-chronic-pain.html Thu, 10 Sep 2026 15:20:01 EDT news708267404 In an Arthritis & Rheumatology analysis of data on 60,980 U.S. adults with autoimmune rheumatic conditions who developed COVID-19 between December 2020 and August 2024, those who received booster or updated (2023–2024) COVID-19 vaccines were less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than those who received only the initial vaccine series or were unvaccinated. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-adults-autoimmune-rheumatic-conditions-covid.html Wed, 09 Sep 2026 03:10:09 EDT news708087001 Patients with rheumatic conditions and opioid use disorder (OUD) have distinct demographic and clinical characteristics, including lower use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and higher acute care use, according to a study published online July 13 in Arthritis Care & Research. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-distinct-characteristics-patients-rheumatoid-conditions.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:00:10 EDT news708088165 Investigators at Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University used an experimental drug to reverse the effects of systemic sclerosis, a serious autoimmune disease. The study, conducted in a laboratory, was published in JCI Insight. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-experimental-sclerosis-treatment.html Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:00:03 EDT news707988849 A shared biological mechanism that helps explain chronic exhaustion in conditions including long COVID and PTSD has been identified by researchers at the University of East Anglia and Oxford BioDynamics. The paper, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, reveals striking biological similarities among five major illnesses that until now have largely been viewed as separate disorders. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-scientists-uncover-biology-profound-fatigue.html Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:00:01 EDT news707556759 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Lisraya (brepocitinib) tablets as the first oral treatment for dermatomyositis in adults. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-fda-lisraya-dermatomyositis-adults.html Tue, 01 Sep 2026 15:00:10 EDT news707483498 Why do some joints remain chronically inflamed in osteoarthritis and other rheumatic diseases? Researchers have taken an important step toward answering this question. Their findings, published in the journal Cell Death & Differentiation, highlight the key role of proteins associated with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, a cellular mechanism that has so far been only sparsely investigated in human joint tissues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-stress-proteins-sustain-joint-inflammation.html Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news707393641 When the immune system encounters a virus, it produces antibodies designed to recognize and eliminate the invader. But in some people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the immune response goes awry, producing autoantibodies—antibodies that mistakenly attack the body's own tissues. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-immune-cells-autoantibody-responses-covid.html Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:00:05 EDT news707045701 Immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell therapy are used primarily to treat cancer. In the future, these patient-specific therapies, manufactured from patients' own immune cells, could also help cure autoimmune diseases. Six patients with particularly severe rheumatoid arthritis have now received this treatment at Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin. In the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers report the results from the world's first clinical trial of its kind: Disease activity decreased substantially in all participants. By the end of the observation period, three of the patients no longer required any medication for rheumatoid arthritis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-cell-therapy-substantially-severe-rheumatoid.html Thu, 27 Aug 2026 16:40:03 EDT news707066581 New Curtin University research has found a concerning lack of knowledge about osteoporosis among older Australians, with many unaware of the exercises that can protect their bones and reduce their risk of falls. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-08-older-australians-dark-osteoporosis.html Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:20:06 EDT news707030641 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