A real-world 2-year prospective study of medication tapering in patients with well-controlled rheumatoid arthritis within the rheumatoid arthritis medication tapering (RHEUMTAP) cohort.

Objectives: This study had two aims: (i) to investigate outcomes of medication tapering in stable RA patients on biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (bDMARDs/tsDMARDs) and conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) in a real-world prospective cohort; and (ii) to evaluate possible predictors of flare with medication taper.

Methods: A prospective cohort of patients with RA in sustained remission or low disease activity while on stable bDMARD/tsDMARDs +/- csDMARDs for at least 6 months underwent medication tapering/stopping and was tracked for 2 years. Patients were evaluated for flares in four groups: no taper, only bDMARD/tsDMARD taper, only csDMARD taper and both csDMARD and bDMARD/tsDMARD taper.

Association of Hydroxychloroquine Use With Decreased Incident Atrial Fibrillation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective: To study the relationship between hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) use and new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: A retrospective cohort of adult patients with SLE was constructed from December 1, 2014 to May 30, 2017. Patients were categorized as either HCQ users or nonusers.

The Foot That Broke Both Hips: A Case Report and Literature Review of Tumor-Induced Osteomalacia.

Tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by hypophosphatemia and clinical symptoms of osteomalacia. Only discussed as case reports, there is still limited knowledge of this condition as a potentially curable cause of osteomalacia among clinicians and pathologists. In this article, we present a case of tumor-induced osteomalacia in a 59-year-old gentleman followed by an up-to-date review of the existing literature on TIO.

Hydroxychloroquine Use Is Associated With Decreased Incident Cardiovascular Events in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. This study is the first to report the association of hydroxychloroquine (an antirheumatic medication that has been associated with decreased risk of diabetes, a less atherogenic lipid profile, and antithrombotic properties) with CVD in RA.

Methods And Results: A retrospective incident RA cohort from January 1, 2001, to October 31, 2013, excluding patients with CVD prior to RA diagnosis, was constructed.