Arthritis Center of Riverside

12/14/2022

Groundbreaking Study Finds Treatment Effective for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Researchers have shown for the first time that a class of anti-fibrotic drugs inhibits the progression of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Pirfenidone was shown to be safe and effective in these individuals, according to research conducted in part at National Jewish Health. The research, which was earlier this month published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, is the first prospective treatment trial for individuals with RA-ILD.

“ILD is a relatively common complication in people with RA and can progress and lead to premature death in up to 10% of these patients,” said Joshua Solomon, MD, director of the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at National Jewish Health and first author of the study. “This research is a big step forward for patients suffering from RA-ILD.”

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases in the world. The treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Interstitial Lung Disease 1 (TRIAL1) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial done in 34 academic centers specializing in ILD across four countries. Patients with RA-ILD were treated for 52 weeks with either pirfenidone, an anti-scarring medication, or a placebo.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented trial participant enrollment goals from being reached, but the results showed that pirfenidone was safe, well tolerated, and slowed down the rate of progression of lung fibrosis over a year. This was the first and only prospective multi-centered international interventional treatment trial focused on RA-ILD.

While the trial was foreshortened because of recruitment challenges during the pandemic, the intervention appeared safe and in context, slowed the rate of forced vital capacity (FVC) decline; as FVC decline is associated with early mortality, slowing the decline may be associated with longer life.

Source: SciTechDaily

12/05/2022

Call us today to schedule an appointment with our world-renowned Rheumatologist, Dr. Al Robert Franco.

We specialize in both conventional and alternative treatments, and offer highly individualized care for each one of our patients.

12/05/2022

Just one of the many we have helped over the last three decades. Call us today to schedule an appointment with our world-renowned Rheumatologist, Dr. Al Robert Franco.

We specialize in both conventional and alternative treatments, and offer highly individualized care for each one of our patients.

12/05/2022

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12/02/2022

12/01/2022

If winter weather has your joints distressed, try these tips from a hand therapist for relief during the cold months!

1. Start your day with heat! Use a heating pad, heated blanket, warm bath, or warm shower to increase your joints’ mobility and decrease your pain before you go about your daily activities.

2. Avoid prolonged gripping – such as with carrying heavy holiday grocery and gift bags!

3. Keep moving, but keep it pain-free. Consider walking inside a shopping mall, riding a stationary bike at a comfortable speed, or swimming in a warm, indoor pool for some low-impact exercise during the winter months. If exercise causes pain, your body is telling you to lessen the intensity of your activity.

4. Dress appropriately. Layer your clothing when going outdoors. Make sure to cover all arthritis-prone joints (knees, fingers). Wear gloves or mittens!

5. Ask for help with scraping ice off car windshields and shoveling snow. These activities are tough on joints, and can be more painful in the cold weather months.

6. Invest in arthritic gloves. These provide compression and warmth to aching hands. Chemically activated hot packs for your hands can be helpful too. Just make sure not to expose your skin directly to hot packs.

7. Prevent falls. Wear appropriate footwear with traction, and keep an eye out for slick surfaces that could cause you to fall and injure yourself.

12/01/2022

If winter weather has your joints distressed, try these tips from a hand therapist for relief during the cold months!

1. Start your day with heat! Use a heating pad, heated blanket, warm bath, or warm shower to increase your joints’ mobility and decrease your pain before you go about your daily activities.

2. Avoid prolonged gripping – such as with carrying heavy holiday grocery and gift bags!

3. Keep moving, but keep it pain-free. Consider walking inside a shopping mall, riding a stationary bike at a comfortable speed, or swimming in a warm, indoor pool for some low-impact exercise during the winter months. If exercise causes pain, your body is telling you to lessen the intensity of your activity.

4. Dress appropriately. Layer your clothing when going outdoors. Make sure to cover all arthritis-prone joints (knees, fingers). Wear gloves or mittens!

5. Ask for help with scraping ice off car windshields and shoveling snow. These activities are tough on joints, and can be more painful in the cold weather months.

6. Invest in arthritic gloves. These provide compression and warmth to aching hands. Chemically activated hot packs for your hands can be helpful too. Just make sure not to expose your skin directly to hot packs.

7. Prevent falls. Wear appropriate footwear with traction, and keep an eye out for slick surfaces that could cause you to fall and injure yourself.

12/01/2022

If you suffer from arthritis, whether inflammatory or not, you've probably noticed your joints getting crankier as the weather turns colder. But why are arthritis symptoms worse during the winter?

"Our joints operate best in temperate weather," says Dr. Mariko L. Ishimori, Interim Director at the Cedars-Sinai Division of Rheumatology. "When the weather gets cooler, the synovial fluid that acts like motor oil in our joints becomes more like sludge."

Some people are so sensitive to the weather that their aching joints act as a signal that a storm is coming.

While cold weather doesn't cause arthritis, it can exacerbate aches and pains. According to the Arthritis Foundation, frigid temperatures can heighten pain sensitivity, slow blood circulation and cause muscle spasms. To make matters more complex, our joints can detect and respond to changes in barometric pressure (the amount of air pressure in the atmosphere).

"A drop in barometric pressure can cause muscles and tendons to expand, which can put more stress on an already crowded joint," says Dr. Ishimori. "When your joint cap expands, you can feel that."

The good news: There are some simple things you can do to support your joints when the weather is working against you.

12/01/2022

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis could be improved by one simple vegan food, according to research.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that sees the immune system attacking cells in the joints. Those suffering from the condition experience pains, swelling, and stiffness in their hands, feet, or wrists. Fatigue and weight issues are also common symptoms of the disease.

Research by the British Nutrition Foundation has suggested that eating more pumpkin seeds, which are rich in iron, could help to reduce symptoms including extreme fatigue.

“People with rheumatoid arthritis frequently experience tiredness and this can be made worse by anemia,” the British Nutrition Foundation said, referring to a condition that reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood.

“You can help prevent this by choosing foods that are a source of iron, including nuts and seeds, such as cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds,” it continued.

However, the health benefits of pumpkin seeds span further than rheumatoid arthritis. The seeds, also known as pepitas, are the main ingredient in a new vegan “superfood” egg mix. The product, created by Spero Foods, can be used to make omelets, quiches, and scrambled eggs, yet it is entirely vegan. According to the company, compared to eggs on a per gram basis, pumpkin seeds contain three times more protein, eight times more iron, and seven times more zinc. Pumpkin seeds also have 400 times more fiber, 20 times more antioxidants, and twice as many omega-3s than chicken eggs.

11/16/2022

Nutrition code for fatigue 🥱

📸: .nutritionist

08/25/2022

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes pain, swelling, and joint stiffness, but medicine isn’t the only way to fight it. In addition to traditional treatment, healthy eating may help improve RA symptoms.

In fact, according to a report published online in February 2017 in the journal Arthritis Care & Research, nearly a quarter of the more than 200 people with RA surveyed said changing what they eat impacted the severity of their symptoms — both for worse and for better.

The results of the survey, which included more than 100 subjects on biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), suggest that eating sugary desserts and soda, for example, was associated with feeling lousy.

Yet other foods, such as spinach, had a positive effect on symptoms. The fruit that topped the list? Blueberries.