https://medicalxpress.com/rheumatology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Rheumatology 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 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