Arthritis and depressive symptoms often interact and negatively influence one another to worsen mental and physical health outcomes. Better characterization of arthritis rates among older adults with different levels of depressive symptoms is an important step toward informing mental health professionals of the need to detect and respond to arthritis and related mental health complications. The primary objective is to determine arthritis rates among US older adults with varying degrees of depression.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent condition seen across primary care services. Although evidence‐based guidelines have encouraged the prescription of medications, including analgesics, for this population, there remains uncertainty as to which types of individuals actually take prescribed or over‐the‐counter medications. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there is a difference in characteristics between people who take medicines for OA compared with those who do not.
Methotrexate is commonly used to treat patients with inflammatory arthritis. A key role of a rheumatology nurse is to educate patients on how to take this drug safely prior to the commencement of treatment. The objective of the present study was to explore the experiences of rheumatology nurses conducting this role, focusing on the content of the consultation and training received to perform the role.
The wrist is often severely affected in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients; however, little is known about the potential risk factors of the reduced wrist range of motion. In this study, we explored a broad range of possible risk factors of wrist range of motion in RA patients. We also determined whether measurements of wrist range of motion reflect Sharp score for the wrists.
Conclusions: mySARAH is the first online hand exercise intervention for people with rheumatoid arthritis. We actively involved target users in the development and usability evaluation and ensured mySARAH met their needs and preferences.
What you need to know
> Aim for remission or low disease activity as the target for treatment
> To begin treatment, use one disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) and increase the dose, before adding another DMARD, if needed
> Consider short term bridging therapy with glucocorticoids when starting a new conventional synthetic DMARD
> Consider oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for uncontrolled pain or stiffness
> Offer the lowest effective dose of NSAID for the shortest possible time, with a proton pump inhibitor and review risk factors for adverse events regularly. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.