Tag Archives: control RA inflammation

rheumatoid arthritis green tea

RA Research Briefs: Remission, Surgery, Green Tea

Keep up-to-date on the latestrheumatoid arthritis (RA)research with our brief research summaries.

Obesity Reduces Odds of RA Remission

Research suggests weight may be a factor in whether people with RA will achieve disease remission. A review of studies screened a total 3,368 patient records. Canadian researchers found obese patients with RA were less likely to achieve remission or sustain remission compared to healthy-weight patients.Obesity, they reported, negatively impacts disease activityand patient-reported outcomes during therapy. Therefore, they say, interventions to reduce BMI should be investigated for the ability to improve disease outcomes.

Source: Arthritis Care & Research, January 2017

Continue readingRA Research Briefs: Remission, Surgery, Green Tea

rheumatoid arthritis inflammation control

Early Control of RA Inflammation Prevents Joint Surgery

With the advent of early, aggressive treatment and more effective drugs,rheumatoid arthritis (RA)patients are facing joint surgery much less than they were 20 years ago.

When rheumatologist Erdal Diri started working at Trinity Health Center in Minot, N.D., more than a decade ago, he saw many RA patients referred to him by surgeons frustrated by the levels of joint inflammation they saw. Better inflammation-fighting drugs and a new approach to treating RA more aggressively have changed that, he says. From an average of 30 to 40 RA patients per year being sent for surgery at this rural hospital, Dr. Diri now sends only 4 or 5.

Research Backs a Decline in RA Joint Surgeries

A study conducted by rheumatologists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and published inJournal of Rheumatologyin March 2012, tracked surgeries among 813 RA patients from 1980 to 2007. The researchers, led by Eric L. Matteson, MD, found that the incidence of any joint surgery within 10 years of diagnosis went from 27.3% in the 1980 to 1994 period, to 19.5% in the 1995 to 2007 period.
Continue readingEarly Control of RA Inflammation Prevents Joint Surgery