Increasing incidence, expenditures By Rosemary Frei, MSc The incidence of gout is on the rise, and with it the cost of care. Between 2006 and 2008, gout was associated with >280 million visits to the emergency department in the United States, with median costs increasing annually. In 2008, nearly 175,000 emergency department visits were made by patients with gout as their primary complaint, totaling $166 million, according to the first-ever analysis of gout-related utilization and cost of care in US emergency departments (Garg R, et al. Arthritis Care Res [Hoboken]. 2012 Sep 4 [Epub ahead of print]).

Can inform clinical decision-making By Alice Goodman Thrombosis is more common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than in the general population and is associated with increased mortality. Researchers have recently identified specific genetic risk factors for thrombosis in pa­tients with SLE, and results of their study suggest that these risk factors differ among ethnic groups (Kaiser R, et al. J Rheumatol. 2012;39:1603-1610).

First Japanese clinical trial for this condition By Charles Bankhead Patients with fibromyalgia had significant improvement in pain, sleep, and quality-of-life mea­sures when treated with pregabalin (Lyrica) versus placebo, according to the results of the first clinical trial of this condition in Japan (Ohta H, et al. Arthritis Res Ther. 2012;14:R217 [Epub ahead of print]). Significant pain relief occurred within the first week of treatment with pregabalin and persisted over the 15-week duration of the trial. Significantly more patients reported being “very much improved” or “much improved” with pregabalin than with placebo (P = .078).

Immune Response BioPharma, Inc, has submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration for an orphan designation for its new vaccine, Ravax, which targets the immune system of patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Gout is a common inflammatory arthritis with appropriate treatments and a well-understood disease mechanism, yet many patients are not receiving appropriate therapy; therefore, a disease that is curable is only seldom cured.

The majority of patients with RA have disabilities related to their foot or ankle; however, these problems are often being ignored by physicians and are not always properly managed. Now a new and simple questionnaire, which is available to the public free of charge, can help physicians and patients to detect foot and ankle problems in patients with RA.

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that reproducing a rare type of B-cell and infusing it back into the body may potentially be an effective way of treating autoimmune diseases, such as RA and multiple sclerosis.

By Neil Canavan Cincinnati, OH—Results of a new study suggest that despite the availability of urate-lowering treatments (ULTs) and the newly published American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines for the treatment of gout, which were initially introduced at last year’s ACR annual meeting, no more than 50% of physicians are currently following these recommendations.

Hospitalization rates rise with uncontrolled uric acid levels By Neil Canavan Cincinnati, OH—Patients with gout who have uncontrolled serum uric acid levels are much more likely to utilize healthcare resources, such as hospitalizations and outpatient ser­vices, compared with patients with gout whose serum uric acid levels are being effectively managed, according to data from a large study of veterans conducted by Eswar Krishnan, MD, MPhil, Assistant Professor of Medi­cine at the Stanford School of Medi­cine, Palo Alto, CA, and colleagues. The study was presented in a poster at the October 2012 meeting of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.