Autoimmune Disease

Psoriasis, Kidney Disease Link Found

Published: Oct 16, 2013 | Updated: Oct 16, 2013 By Chris Kaiser Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Dermatology/Psoriasis/42321 Action Points Note that this study of a large U.K. registry suggested an association between psoriasis and chronic kidney disease. Be aware that this relationship does not appear to be mediated by the use of nephrotoxic prescription drugs, but over-the-counter […]

Erosive Hand OA Linked to Lipids

Published: Oct 10, 2013 | Updated: Oct 10, 2013 By Nancy Walsh Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42192 Erosive osteoarthritis (OA) of the hand is a severe form of radiographic hand OA, rather than a distinct clinical entity, and may be driven by the presence of metabolic abnormalities, researchers reported. The pattern of joint involvement in erosive OA […]

Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Psoriasis

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis E.A. Dowlatshahi The British Journal of Dermatology. 2013;169(2):266-282. Abstract Studies investigating systemic inflammation in psoriasis use different serum markers and report discrepant results. We set out to determine whether systemic inflammation is elevated in patients with psoriasis compared with healthy controls, and to measure the extent of this elevation, by […]

Fish Oil Shows Benefits in RA

Published: Oct 2, 2013 | Updated: Oct 2, 2013 By Nancy Walsh Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Rheumatology/Arthritis/42007 Action Points Note that this small randomized trial demonstrated that fish oil, in addition to standard therapy, increased the remission rate in new-onset rheumatoid arthritis. Be aware that larger studies in other populations will be needed to validate the use […]

Infographic for Rheumatoid Arthritis

http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/rheumatoid-arthritis/Infographic/i/38228  

Prevalence of the Metabolic Syndrome in Children With Psoriatic Disease

Full Article:  http://www.practiceupdate.com/journalscan/5988Journal Abstract: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pde.12218Pediatr Dermatol 2013 Sep 09;[EPub Ahead of Print], AM Goldminz, CD Buzney, N Kim, SC Au, DE Levine, AC Wang, EM Volf, SS Yaniv, TA Kerensky, M Bhandarkar, NM Dumont, PF Lizzul, DS Loo, JW Kulig, ME Brown, JM Lopez-Benitez, LC Miller, AB Gottlieb  TAKE-HOME MESSAGE What is the prevalence of metabolic […]

Copper Bracelets Don’t Help Rheumatoid Arthritis

By Nicky Broyd WebMD Health News Reviewed by Rob Hicks, MD EmedicineHeath Article:  http://www.emedicinehealth.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=173737 Sept. 18, 2013 — Copper bracelets and magnetic wrist straps have no real effect on pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritis, a new study finds. They also seem to have no effect in preventing the disease from getting worse. The practice […]

Comorbidities in Children with Psoriasis

In this interview, Dr. Kelly Cordoro, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Pediatrics at UCSF speaks with Dr. Sarah Chamlin, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, about her recent presentation from the Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting discussing the topic of pediatric psoriasis and related comorbidities.

Vitamin D and Autoimmune Diseases

Vitamin D and Autoimmune Diseases Reference: “High-dose cholecalciferol supplementation significantly increases peripheral CD4+ Tregs in healthy adults without negatively affecting the frequency of other immune cells,” Prietl B, Treiber G, et al, Eur J Nutr, 2013 Sept 3; [Epub ahead of print]. (Address: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 15, 8036, […]

RA Risk Falls as Omega-3 Intake Rises

8/14/13 Action Points A diet rich in fatty fish appeared to protect against rheumatoid arthritis in women. Point out that fish oil supplementation is the only source of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 (PUFAs) consistently associated with a reduced risk of RA, and studies of dietary sources of n-3 PUFAs have yielded inconsistent results. […]

Psoriasis Raises Risk of Other Ailments

8/8/13 by Charles Bankhead Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points Patients with psoriasis had an increased risk of multiple comorbid conditions affecting most major organ systems, including the lungs, liver, kidneys, and cardiovascular system. Point out that the comorbidity burden increased significantly with the severity of psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis had an increased risk of […]

The Concomitant Consumption of Cod Liver Oil Causes a Reduction in the Daily Diclofenac Sodium Usage in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Vinay Kumar Gupta Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research Year : 2013 | Month : 07 | Volume : 7 | Issue : 7 | Page : 1347 – 1351 Full Text Journal Reference Abstract Objective: To evaluate whether the concomitant consumption of Cod liver oil can reduce the daily dose of Diclofenac Sodium and […]

Low Vitamin D Linked with Worse Lupus

7/3/13 by Nancy Walsh Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points SLE patients with low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were given weekly supplements of 50,000 units of vitamin D2 plus 200 units of calcium/vitamin D3 twice daily. A 20-ng/ml increase in the 25(OH)D level was associated with a significant but modest decrease in the odds of […]

Arthritis, Then and Now (A Historical Perspective)

Described in ancient Egyptian medical texts, arthritis — particularly gout — was one of the earliest diseases to be clinically recognized. Hippocrates (~460-357 BC) differentiated gout from other forms of arthritis, while an ayurvedic medicine text from 123 AD references a disease characterized by swollen, painful joints and occasional fever — in all likelihood, rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Scientists Officially Link Processed Foods To Autoimmune Disease

March 8, 2013 by True Activist The modern diet of processed foods, takeaways and microwave meals could be to blame for a sharp increase in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, including alopecia, asthma and eczema. A team of scientists from Yale University in the U.S and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, in Germany, say junk […]

Vitamin D Deficiency and Risk for Rheumatic Diseases – AN UPDATE

Paul Gatenby, Robyn Lucas, Ashwin Swaminathan Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2013;25(2):184-191. Abstract Purpose of review: The role of vitamin D in situations other than calcium homeostasis and bone health has become very topical. It is apparent that vitamin D has significant effects on the immune system and as such may contribute to the pathogenesis of autoimmune […]

Parsley and Immunomodulation

Mohammad Hossein Karimi, Padideh Ebadi, Zahra Amirghofran Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2012;8(4):295-297. Abstract and Introduction Introduction Throughout history, herbs have been utilized as an important constituent of foods, industry and folk medicine. One of the widely used vegetal species in various nations’ medicine is parsley (Petroselinum crispum), which has remedial effects as a powerful diuretic […]

Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases

Fasano A. Journal Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2012 Feb;42(1):71-8. doi: 10.1007/s12016-011-8291-x. Abstract Autoimmune diseases are characterized by tissue damage and loss of function due to an immune response that is directed against specific organs. This review is focused on the role of impaired intestinal barrier function on autoimmune pathogenesis. Together with the gut-associated lymphoid tissue […]