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The number of children and young adults with autoimmune diseases receiving the HPV vaccination is profoundly low despite studies showing the vaccine to be safe and effective, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego. Given the increased incidence of HPV in people with autoimmune diseases, this research suggests that increased public health efforts are needed.

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Urate-lowering therapy alone may not directly reduce the risk of kidney disease in those with hyperuricemia. However, according to a study presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, working to lower serum uric acid based on the 2012 American College of Rheumatology Guidelines for Management of Gout has a positive effect.

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Rheumatoid arthritis patients who use tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (called Anti-TNFs) to control their disease-related inflammation also have a decreased risk for heart attacks, according to research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Treating rheumatoid arthritis patients with intensive pharmacological agents, such as biologic drugs, may reduce the need for orthopedic joint surgery, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Tumor necrosis factor inhibitor drugs (commonly called Anti-TNFs) modestly reduce the risk of acute coronary syndrome, such as heart attacks and angina, in rheumatoid arthritis patients whose inflammation places them at higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may not need to halt use of their antirheumatic drugs prior to surgery due to fears of increased infection risk, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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People with psoriatic arthritis who receive early, aggressive pharmacologic intervention following a treat-to-target approach show better outcomes than those who receive standard care, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Use of a patellofemoral knee brace can improve pain symptoms and bone marrow lesions in patients with a type of osteoarthritis of the knee, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Osteoarthritis patients who engage in regular physical activity have higher Quality- Adjusted Life Years, a standard measurement of quality of life and cost-effectiveness of medical treatment, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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A self-directed walking program shows promise in easing joint stiffness in older women who experienced these symptoms while taking aromatase inhibitor therapy for breast cancer, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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New research presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego describes an exciting novel tool utilizing telephone linked technology that shows potential as a low cost approach to improving exercise adherence in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The telephone- linked technology acts as an automated physical trainer and behavior therapist to improve adherence to a strengthening protocol for knee osteoarthritis.

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Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis who receive early, aggressive therapy with a combination of medications achieve clinical inactive disease status faster than they would with less aggressive therapy, according to new research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Starting with a combination of three traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (called DMARDs) for treating early rheumatoid arthritis is more cost-effective long term, with comparable benefits, than using either an immediate or step-up approach with anti-tumor necrosis factor (called Anti-TNFs) drugs and methotrexate, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Using a combination of three traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for treating recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis is more efficient than a monotherapy approach using methotrexate, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego.

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Using a combination of three traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs for treating recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis is not only more cost-effective, but results in better long-term worker productivity than a monotherapy approach using methotrexate, according to new research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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A high percentage of rheumatoid arthritis patients discontinue triple therapy, a combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, after one to two years, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Medicaid beneficiaries with lupus are not adequately following their treatment plans, and this puts them at risk for poor health outcomes, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego. For most lupus medications, fewer than one in three beneficiaries were found to be adherent.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, researchers have identified three potentially modifiable risk factors and one protective medication that may improve the health of people living with lupus.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, children born to mothers with lupus may be at twice the risk of autism spectrum disorders than those born to mothers without the disease.

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Pregabalin (Lyrica® Capsules CV) can significantly improve fibromyalgia pain in people who also are being treated for depression, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Rituximab (Rituxan®) — a drug commonly used rheumatoid arthritis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (formerly Wegener’s), and certain types of cancers — may be a safe and effective treatment for immunoglobulin G4-related disease (commonly called IgG4-RD), according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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Learning that your child has arthritis can lead to a number of questions and concerns about treatment options and prognosis. But, partnering with your child and his or her rheumatologist in shared decision making about their health care can lead to better outcomes overall, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.

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There has been a progressive decline in the levels of disease activity and disability among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis over the past 25 years, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego. This research confirms the notion that recent advances in the management of the disease have led to a substantial improvement in health outcomes for children living with it.

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Apremilast, an orally available small molecule modulating several inflammatory pathways, which is pending approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration, is showing promise in the treatment of mouth and genital ulcers in people with Behcet’s syndrome, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in San Diego.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., early and effective treatment by a rheumatologist may halt disease progression in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., the risk of atypical fractures from taking bisphosphonates in people with osteoporosis is low.

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A new study presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., suggests that anti-tumor necrosis factor drugs (also called anti-TNF) offer no relief to patients with chronic pain caused from hand osteoarthritis.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., pain experienced by people with fibromyalgia may be caused by a problem with the way pain stimuli are processed in the brain. Abnormal pain signal processing may also be related to a lack of responsiveness to opioids, a common class of pain relievers.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., prescribing anti-tumor necrosis factor drugs (also called anti-TNF) to treat rheumatoid arthritis may reduce the requirement for hospital admissions. The study also found that using anti-TNF therapy significantly reduced the need for hip and knee surgery procedures, resulting in more than $21 million in overall Irish health care cost savings.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., treatment with biologic medications may reduce the risk of premature death in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., a daily dose of strontium ranelate — a medication prescribed for osteoporosis — may delay knee osteoarthritis progression. The study also revealed that taking strontium ranelate may improve knee pain, reduce joint damage and the need for surgery.

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Mobile phone monitoring in people with rheumatoid arthritis increases the likelihood that people with the disease will follow treatment, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., the total cost of treating Canadians with osteoarthritis will quadruple over the next two decades to reach $8.1 billion by the year 2031.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Medicare patients with rheumatoid arthritis may face higher drug costs and barriers to newer medications.

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According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. differences by income and geographic region may prevent Medicare recipients with rheumatoid arthritis from receiving the latest RA treatments.

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Older women with osteoarthritis who view themselves as dependent on others because they seek help to perform daily activities — such as housework — experience more sadness and depressed moods, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Depression is higher in men and women with rheumatoid arthritis, and may increase mortality in this population, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Race and ethnicity, along with gender, are important factors in determining both short-term and lifetime risk of developing symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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The presence of autoantibodies in the blood may be connected to a higher risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, not just in individuals with diagnosed autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, but in the general population, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Sugary soft drink consumption contributes not only to weight gain, but also may play a role in the progression of knee osteoarthritis, especially in men, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Being more physically active in childhood is linked to greater knee cartilage and tibial bone area in adulthood, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Using sonograms, or ultrasound technology, to measure inflammation of the joint lining (synovitis) and detect joint damage may be a useful, less expensive tool in the examination of the effects of rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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While more than 900,000 total knee replacement surgeries were performed in the U.S. in 2011 to treat debilitating knee osteoarthritis, the success rate of post-operative functional gains vary widely, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Extending the time between doses, or tapering, TNF-inhibitor drugs in people with rheumatoid arthritis in remission can be done in some patients without significantly increasing disease activity or impairing joint function, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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High rates of systemic lupus erythematosus have been linked to living in proximity to a former uranium ore processing facility in Ohio, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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The American College of Rheumatology Research and Education Foundation today announced it has committed six million dollars to fund two clinical trials focused on rheumatoid arthritis. The first trial will explore stopping anti-TNF agents in disease remission, and the second will look at the potentially deadly cardiovascular risks associated with RA.

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Throughout the month of May, the American College of Rheumatology, Arthritis Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and Nemours are partnering to celebrate Arthritis Action Month (formerly Arthritis Awareness Month).

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Based on current trends, nearly 6.5 million Americans between the ages of 35 and 84 are expected to be diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis in the next 10 years, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago. The study also reports that people as young as 45 to 64 years old will account for more than half of newly-diagnosed cases – increasing the need for total knee replacements and placing an additional burden on the United States health care system.