Arthritis Health Center

News and Features Related to Arthritis

Study Eases Arthritis Drug Cancer Fears

Oct. 29, 2009 - Rheumatoid arthritis patients who take the biologic drugs Remicade, Humira, and Enbrel do not appear to have an increased risk for developing cancer in the first few years of use, researchers in Sweden report. The study is one of the largest and longest population-based investigation
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Study: No Benefit to Costly Arthritis Drugs

Oct. 21, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- For many people with rheumatoid arthritis, the traditional, and much cheaper, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) appear to work just as well as newer TNF blockers that target the underlying disease process, a large study shows. The findings also suggest th
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Glucosamine May Not Fight Osteoarthritis

Oct. 21, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- Using a more sensitive measure of joint damage than in the past, researchers have found that the popular supplement glucosamine does not appear to slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis. Previous studies that used X-rays to determine whether glucosamine can preve
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Insecticides May Raise Risk of Lupus, RA

Oct. 20, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- Women who spray their homes and gardens with insecticides may be placing themselves at risk for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, a study shows. In a study of more than 75,000 women, those who used insecticides six or more times a year had nearly two-and-a-half times t
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New Drug May Reduce Severity of Lupus

Oct. 20, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- The first in a new class of experimental drugs that targets the disease process involved in lupus beat out standard treatment in a large clinical trial, researchers say. If the findings hold up, the drug, Benlysta, could become the first new drug for lupus in five dec
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Medications for RA Linked to Skin Cancer

Oct. 19, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- People who take immune-disease drugs called TNF blockers for rheumatoid arthritis should check their bodies regularly for abnormal growths that can signal skin cancer. That's the advice of doctors after two new studies showed that patients treated with TNF blockers ha
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Fighting Gout With Skim Milk and Water

Oct. 19, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- There's a new reason to drink plenty of water and skim milk: Both may help to prevent painful gout attacks, new studies show. "With gout, we spend a lot of time telling patients what they can't do -- to avoid beer and red meat, for example," says University of Aucklan
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Genetic Link to Lupus

Oct. 19, 2009 -- At least a dozen or more genes may help explain what causes lupus, according to two new studies. Researchers have identified 12 genetic variants that are associated with an increased risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the disease commonly referred to as lupus. Lupus is an a
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Should You Give Injectables a Shot for Osteoarthritis Pain?

Finding relief from knee pain can be a trying experience for the nearly 27 million Americans who live with osteoarthritis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) help many, but these medications can have serious side effects, including ulcers and serious gastrointestinal bleeding. What’s mor
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Chinese Herb May Ease Rheumatoid Arthritis

Aug. 17, 2009 -- A Chinese herbal remedy may help ease symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis. A new study shows that the Chinese herbal remedy Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TwHF), also known as “lei gong teng” or "thunder god vine," helped decrease joint tenderness and pain in a small group
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