https://medicalxpress.com/rheumatology-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Rheumatology 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 As an aging population experiences joint pain and inflammation at an all-time high, researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, have published new findings suggesting continuous low-intensity ultrasound may help shift the body's immune response from prolonged inflammation toward tissue repair, a discovery that could eventually contribute to novel treatments for joint injuries and post-traumatic osteoarthritis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ultrasound-based-approach-inflammation-joint.html Fri, 19 Jun 2026 10:20:01 EDT news701081161 Early results from a UCL- and UCLH-led clinical trial suggest that a type of CAR T-cell therapy—developed by Autolus Therapeutics, a UCL spinout—could offer a new treatment approach for people with severe, treatment-resistant lupus. The findings, presented at the EULAR European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR 2026), come from the ongoing Phase I CARLYSLE study, which is evaluating obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel) in patients with severe refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The early data indicate that the therapy has a favorable safety profile and may lead to meaningful improvements in disease activity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-car-cell-therapy-early-severe.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:20:06 EDT news700739769 Injections of platelet-rich plasma made from a patient's own blood are increasingly used to treat knee osteoarthritis, but their use is not widely accepted, and the treatment does not work for everyone. Investigators from Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University have taken the first steps toward predicting which patients will benefit. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-biological-content-blood-derived-treatment.html Mon, 15 Jun 2026 08:00:04 EDT news700726022 Sjögren's disease is a widespread chronic autoimmune disorder that attacks the body's own glands, yet its underlying disease mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a recent study, researchers from Japan discovered a self-reinforcing loop between different immune cells that sustains autoimmune responses in patients with Sjögren's disease. Their findings pave the way for safer and more effective therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-scientists-reveal-autoimmune-vicious-sjgren.html Thu, 11 Jun 2026 09:00:04 EDT news700386541 A clinical trial led by researchers from Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) and the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) compared the effectiveness of abatacept and hydroxychloroquine in preventing the development of rheumatoid arthritis in patients with palindromic rheumatism, an autoimmune disease that progresses to arthritis in approximately half of all patients. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-rheumatoid-arthritis-clinical-trial.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:20:04 EDT news700323722 A new review published in Calcified Tissue International highlights major advances in understanding and preventing bone loss in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), showing that modern antirheumatic therapies can significantly reduce local and generalized bone loss in RA. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-modern-rheumatoid-arthritis-treatments-bone.html Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:10:06 EDT news700328882 A new review from the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Osteoimmunology Working Group, published in Osteoporosis International, provides a comprehensive evaluation of the role of vitamin D in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The authors conclude that while vitamin D deficiency is common and clinically important, current evidence does not support a direct disease-modifying effect. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-vitamin-d-inflammatory-rheumatic-diseases.html Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:20:01 EDT news700143880 A combination of two widely available anti-rheumatic drugs offers the first effective and affordable treatment for patients with Sjögren's disease with systemic disease activity, according to new results from a clinical trial coordinated by UMC Utrecht. The study showed that treatment with leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine reduced disease activity in patients with moderate-to-severe disease while maintaining a favorable safety profile. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-common-arthritis-drugs-sjgren-disease.html Sat, 06 Jun 2026 15:40:03 EDT news699978269 Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues found that a new drug, obexelimab, significantly reduces the risk of relapse in patients with IgG4-related disease, a rare chronic immune condition often misdiagnosed as cancer. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-drug-relapse-rare-immune-disorder.html Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:20:07 EDT news699803308 Researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht have uncovered a previously underappreciated mechanism that helps immune cells to respond rapidly to infections. Using advanced long-read RNA sequencing, the team shows that alternative RNA splicing, which means how genes are edited into different messenger RNA variants, plays a central role in shaping immune responses. The findings provide new insights into immune-mediated diseases (such as infections, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus) and may open the door to more targeted therapies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-rna-sequencing-method-reveals-hidden.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 18:40:03 EDT news699636061 Researchers at WashU Medicine found that adults who regularly experience short or poor-quality sleep, as well as those who work night shifts, face a significantly higher risk of developing osteoarthritis and requiring hip or knee replacement surgery. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-poor-night-shift-linked-higher.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:20:04 EDT news699621902 A major international study led by researchers at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford has found that osteoarthritis (OA)—the most common form of arthritis worldwide—is not a collection of separate diseases, as many scientists had previously speculated, but rather a single condition with common core underlying biological pathways. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-largest-knee-osteoarthritis-tissue-reveals.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:20:02 EDT news699623101 Millions of people in the UK suffer from joint pain and arthritis. But with long wait times for scans, specialist appointments, physiotherapy, and joint replacement surgery, many people turn to over-the-counter medicines, such as ibuprofen, to manage their joint pain, stay active, and continue working. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-ibuprofen-joint-pain.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:40:01 EDT news699528662 Chikungunya virus, which is transmitted to people by infected Aedes mosquitoes and characterized by high fever and intense joint swelling and pain, has made a resurgence in many countries around the world in recent years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-chikungunya-virus-infections-chronic.html Sat, 30 May 2026 16:00:02 EDT news699190591 There is good news for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Research from Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital may have opened the door to an entirely new way of reducing inflammation in the joints. The study is published in the journal EULAR Rheumatology Open. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-treatment-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Thu, 28 May 2026 21:00:03 EDT news699183640 According to researchers at Semmelweis University, not only inflammation, but also sleep disorders, depression, obesity, and smoking may sustain persistent rheumatic symptoms. In their publications in the journals Nature Reviews Rheumatology and The Lancet Rheumatology, they also proposed a model that can help identify and treat the true causes of symptoms in time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-depression-consequence-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Thu, 28 May 2026 10:40:06 EDT news699180361 At age 49, Jan Janisch-Hanzlik's multiple sclerosis was destroying her freedom to live the life she wanted. She gave up her active nursing job for a desk role. Frequent falls made her afraid to carry her grandchildren. She had to move to a bigger house to make room for the wheelchair she feared she might end up needing full-time. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-car-cancer-autoimmune-disease-immune.html Tue, 26 May 2026 11:40:01 EDT news699012782 A Japanese pharmaceutical firm has warned doctors against prescribing a drug for rare autoimmune diseases to new patients following the deaths of 20 people who took it. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-japan-pharmaceutical-firm-rare-diseases.html Sat, 16 May 2026 05:13:38 EDT news698127201 Involving a collaboration with 118 investigators contributing from 89 institutions, scientists from Queen Mary University of London's Precision Healthcare University Research Institute and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité have led the world's largest study on the genetic regulation of blood proteins. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-blood-protein-people-uncovers-disease.html Wed, 06 May 2026 15:20:27 EDT news697289341 Women who have given birth multiple times are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis, while no or fewer pregnancies was a risk factor along with obesity and smoking, a University of Queensland study has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-pregnancy-odds-rheumatoid-arthritis.html Tue, 05 May 2026 17:00:05 EDT news697218721 Bone marrow is the spongy tissue located within the hollow center of bones, serving as the primary site for the continuous production of red blood cells, platelets, and white blood cells. Despite its physiological importance, the developmental mechanism by which this soft tissue is formed within the rigid confines of hard bone has remained largely unknown. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-bones-marrow-newly-cells-reappear.html Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:30:01 EDT news696614941