February 8, 2010
Dr. Joan M. Bathon, medical editor of The Johns Hopkins Arthritis Bulletin explains how TNF inhibitors such as Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade have improved life for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.The arsenal of rheumatoid arthritis drugs was given a big boost in 1998 when the first Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) inhibitor received FDA approval. While extremely effective, both patients and doctors alike have many questions and concerns about which of the three current drugs to use,
February 8, 2010
Statistics show that the rate of self-reported gout in the United States has swelled from two to three million since 1995. Rising rates of obesity and an aging population are partly to blame, but there appears to be another factor: our love of sugary soft drinks.A group of researchers from Canada and the United States noticed that the rise in gout coincided with a dramatic increase in the consumption of soft drinks and other beverages
February 8, 2010
Some physicians believe that people with Lyme disease can develop a chronic illness that is relieved by long-term use of antibiotics. But new guidelines for the treatment of Lyme disease, issued by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), have raised a stir by questioning this assertion.The IDSA guidelines say that 95% of people with Lyme disease are cured by a 14- to 28-day course of oral antibiotics and that no credible scientific evidence
February 8, 2010
Do you experience pain and numbness in the back or legs? It could be spinal stenosis.The spinal cord is the main conduit for nerve impulses traveling from the brain to the lower part of the body. It runs through the spinal canal -- the channel between the 24 bones (vertebrae) that make up the spine. Spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal canal becomes narrower. This narrowing (stenosis) places pressure on the spinal
February 8, 2010
Johns Hopkins Glossary of Arthritis-related terms, derived from their John Hopkins White Papers and Johns Hopkins Arthritis Bulletin