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Top Medical News
In adolescent juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients, depressive symptoms are prevalent and predictive of future pain and disability, a study has found.
Early renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade with renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) leads to better short- and long-term renal outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with antiphospholipid-associated nephropathy (aPLN), according to a study, adding that this renal protective effect is independent of RASI’s antihypertensive and antiproteinuric effects.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving long-term treatment with mavrilimumab demonstrate continued response and a positive safety profile, with no increased incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs), according to an analysis of two phase IIb studies (1071 and 1107) and one open-label extension study. Additionally, there are similar safety data from both phase IIb qualifying studies.
Rheumatoid arthritis patients who use low-dose aspirin in primary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) disease have similar risks of major toxicity and CV events as those who are not exposed to aspirin, according to a secondary analysis of the PRECISION* trial.
Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) do not have an increased risk of overall fractures, although steroid use poses an elevated risk of fractures at the spine, according to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Hydroxychloroquine does not appear to be more effective than placebo for relieving pain in patients with hand osteoarthritis, a study has found.
Nurse-delivered, telehealth cognitive behavioural therapy and supportive care interventions are similarly effective in the treatment of chronic back pain, producing significant reductions in pain and improvements in function, as reported in a recent study.
Special Reports
At the 47th Annual Scientific Meeting/Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Orthopaedic Association, Dr Algis Jovaisas discussed important clinical considerations when it comes to choosing between nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsNSAIDs) and selective COX-2 inhibitors (coxibs) for the management of acute pain.
At the recent launch of Nurofen® Express by Reckitt Benckiser Malaysia, Ms Joyce McSwan spoke on the importance of managing tension-type headache (TTH), highlighting the roles of drug and non-drug approaches in improving treatment outcomes.
At the International Osteoporosis Foundation Regionals – 6th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting in Singapore, Professor Olivier Bruyère shared about the algorithm for the management of knee OA by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO). MIMS Doctor also spoke to Professor Jean-Yves Reginster, president of ESCEO about this algorithm and the role of SYSADOAs in the control of pain and prevention of disease progression.
At the 17th Malaysian Society of Rheumatology/Singapore Society of Rheumatology Workshop, Associate Professor Susanna Proudman, a senior consultant in rheumatology from Australia, shared with the audience on the diagnosis and management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), with a focus on systemic sclerosis (SSc)-related PAH.
During the combined meeting of the 46th Malaysian Orthopaedic Association Annual General Meeting/Annual Scientific Meeting and the 10th ASEAN Arthroplasty Association Meeting, Dr Joseph Pergolizzi spoke on the importance of chronic pain control and appropriate strategies to achieve this. Highlights of his presentation are summarized below.
Conference Reports
The monoclonal antibody denosumab demonstrates potent antiresorptive effect in the treatment of osteoporosis, conferring benefit for fracture risk and averting bone loss in select oncological situations. The drug must be used without interruption to prevent a rebound effect, according to Dr Tai-Pang Ip, a consultant endocrinologist from Hong Kong who spoke at AFOS 2017 held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Bisphosphonates have proven antifracture efficacy and remain to be the cornerstone of osteoporosis treatment. However, a drug holiday is of particular importance with bisphosphonates due to some signals with long-term use of the drug, including rare incidence of atypical femoral fracture (AFF) and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), says a leading endocrinologist at AFOS 2017.
The use of functional imaging modalities such as octreotide scintigraphy and 68Ga DOTATATE PET/CT* enhances localization of tumour-induced osteomalacia (TIO), a rare syndrome characterized by bone pain, muscle weakness, and skeletal deformities due to overproduction of the hormone fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), according to data presented at AFOS 2017.
Slideshow: Highlights from the Asian Federation of Osteoporosis Societies (AFOS 2017) 5th Annual Scientific Meeting
Osteoporosis is an age-related complex disease with a strong genetic component. However, the genes responsible for the disease remain poorly defined, says an expert at AFOS 2017.
Elderly patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF) should refrain from undergoing highly invasive surgery, but those with no posterior wall mobility or paralysis may benefit from balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) for OVF with posterior vertebral wall damage, according to a study presented at the 5th Scientific Meeting Asian Federation of Osteoporosis Societies (AFOS) 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Dr Joon Kiong Lee discusses pharmacotherapy for osteoporosis and the role of FLS in fracture prevention
