Calprotectin tracks the hidden inflammatory load in RA, and colchicine fails knee OA

The edition in brief

Today's rheumatology edition opens on biomarkers. In 4,521 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, plasma calprotectin correlated with inflammatory and clinical measures and, independent of CRP, tracked autoantibody load — marking a burden of disease that CRP alone misses. A retrospective cohort of 70 patients found B-cell-targeted therapy for lupus-associated warm autoimmune haemolytic anaemia gave response rates comparable to conventional immunosuppression but allowed earlier glucocorticoid reduction, though the data are exploratory. A meta-analysis of eight trials found yoga improved disease-activity scores and lowered interleukin-6 in rheumatoid arthritis, without a consistent effect on physical function — a reasonable adjunct, not a substitute for therapy. A clinic pearl reaffirms how to handle urate-lowering therapy around a gout flare. The practice-changer is a negative one: the CLOAK randomised trial found three months of colchicine did not improve pain, function or effusion in knee osteoarthritis, so it should not be used for osteoarthritis symptoms despite its effect on inflammatory biomarkers.