Each 5 mg of daily steroid in lupus was linked to damage risk for two years

The edition in brief

In 3,749 Swedish patients with newly diagnosed lupus, each 5 mg a day of oral glucocorticoid was associated with a 42% higher hazard of first organ damage when exposure over the preceding two years was counted, and cardiovascular damage reflected dosing over three years. An international registry of 1,868 patients with anti-synthetase syndrome found pulmonary hypertension in 8.9%, more than in other myositis or rheumatoid arthritis, and independently linked to higher mortality (HR 2.52). In 102 patients with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis from BE MOBILE 2, bimekizumab reduced spinal MRI inflammation by week 16 with the effect sustained to two years and little change in erosions or new bone. A Toronto cohort of 165 patients with lupus nephritis found no detectable difference in biopsy class or activity and chronicity indices with prior antimalarial use. The pearl covers hydroxychloroquine dosing and retinal screening.