Chest pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Article Abstract:

Drugs that suppress the immune system taken by patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may disguise heart infections. Researchers presented the medical histories of two middle-aged patients with RA who developed chest pain. Neither patient had elevated white blood cell counts or a fever that may have signaled an infection. Doctors discontinued the first patient's immunosuppressive medication when they detected and successfully treated an accumulation of fluid around the heart infected with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. They did not detect a similarly infected accumulation of fluid around the second patient's heart until after the patient died a few hours after admission to the emergency room. This patient also had been taking medication for an elbow joint infected with Staphylococcus aureus three weeks before the chest pain began.

Case studies, Complications and side effects, Immunosuppressive agents, Pericarditis

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Tenidap: not just another NSAID?

Article Abstract:

Tenidap may prove to be effective in reducing both inflammation and the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Researchers presented preliminary evidence from two studies comparing tenidap with the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) naproxen and diclofenac and two studies comparing tenidap with an NSAID and the second-line drugs hydroxychloroquine and aurifin. All studies showed equivalent or significantly more improvement in the pain scores and number of swollen joints in the patients taking tenidap as compared to the other treatments. Significant numbers of patients reported side effects, most commonly stomach or intestinal complications (53%, tenidap; 49%, NSAID alone; and 62%, NSAID and a second-line drug).

Evaluation, Product/Service Evaluation, Tenidap (Medication)

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Dilemmas of low dosage glucocorticoid treatment in rheumatoid arthritis: considerations of timing

Article Abstract:

Recent evidence suggests that timing of low dose glucocorticoid treatments (LDGT) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may influence the treatment's success. Patient factors may, however, be the best indicators of the appropriate treatment. One study showed that patients given LDGT at 2:00 AM reported less morning stiffness and pain than those treated at 7:30 AM but other laboratory test results were similar. There was no difference in response among patients given 7.5 milligrams (mg) LDGT or 5.0 mg LDGT at either time point.

Dosage and administration, Prednisone

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