Research | ARMA

New Work Survey by NRAS

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is running a new Work Survey and is pleased to be collaborating with the Centre for Musculoskeletal Research at the University of Manchester.

The Work Survey will investigate the experiences of people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Adult Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), any impact it has had on your ability to work and how it affects you in the workplace.

The research comes 10 years after the publication of the ‘I Want to Work’ report and will enable NRAS to draw comparisons about any progress achieved over the last decade in relation to work, health and disability.…

Read more of this article

Consensus sought on exercise and osteoporosis

The National Osteoporosis Society is embarking on a new project designed to support people with osteoporosis and fragility fractures to exercise safely. The charity is calling on health professionals and people with the condition to submit any questions they have about exercise and osteoporosis as they scope a Consensus Statement.

The new statement will be used to help standardise the information people living with osteoporosis receive about the best exercises and physical activity to safely strengthen bones. It will also help the National Osteoporosis Society to produce new publications and web based resources on exercise for people with the condition to use, based on the best evidence and expertise.…

Read more of this article

Providing physical activity for people with musculoskeletal conditions

This month Arthritis Research UK launched the new report ‘Providing physical activity interventions for people with musculoskeletal conditions’ at the Local Government Association/Associated Directors of Public Health conference on the 9^th of March, where we also ran a policy session outlining the work in the report and the wider relationship between physical activity and musculoskeletal health.

Joining us at the event were speakers from Public Heath England, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and an expert patient on exercising with arthritis and we were very pleased that delegates from a wide range of professional backgrounds attended the session. …

Read more of this article

Bisphosphonates

There have been reports in the media recently about a new study highlighting that patients taking drugs like alendronate for osteoporosis might weaken rather than strengthen bones. The National Osteoporosis Society, with our expert clinical advisers, has produced a response to this so that people with the condition can make an informed decision about their treatment. Radio 4’s The Today Programme and Inside Health have both covered this issue, and as a charity we have received calls from people with osteoporosis asking about treatments.…

Read more of this article

SEM services can deliver much needed MSK cost savings to the NHS

Disease	Risk Reduction via Regular Physical Activity
Heart Disease	40%
Stroke	27%
Colon Cancer	25%
Breast Cancer	24%
Type 2 Diabetes	30%
Hypertension	50%
Source: A Fresh Approach in Practice – NHS North West and the FSEM UK 2011

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) UK has responded to the Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee Preventative Agenda Inquiry, emphasising the risk reduction for many common conditions and the cost savings which can be made by greater use of Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM) services in the NHS.…

Read more of this article

BSR publishes updated DMARDs guideline

British Society for Rheumatology publishes updated guideline non-biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

This latest guidance sets out evidence based recommendations for clinicians prescribing synthetic, non-biologic, anti-rheumatic drugs to tackle multisystem rheumatic conditions. Previous guidelines on DMARDs were published in 2008 but significant shifts in the evidence base mean updated guidance is needed. Monitoring of DMARDs is essential and the guideline includes focuses on baseline screening; implications of co-morbid illness; monitoring for toxicity; management during intercurrent illness or surgery, and shared care guidance.…

Read more of this article

Could long-term conditions reach the point where patients are actually driving the research agenda?

by Kate Gilbert, PhD, Project Lead for PMRGCAuk’s Rheuma Research Roadshows

I’m writing this on a train on a February evening, feeling worn out but excited, a state of mind familiar to any development worker who has just launched a major project. In this case, the PMRGCAuk team have just held the first of our Research Roadshows, funded by a grant from the Wellcome Trust, focusing on Giant Cell Arteritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica. The roadshows are going to take place at research hubs around the country. …

Read more of this article

Your Life with Arthritis Survey

Arthritis Care has launched a new survey, “Your life with Arthritis”, which is available online at: http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/yourlifesurvey

Please circulate the survey to anyone with arthritis who may be interested in taking part. The evidence we gather will help us to understand what matters most to people with arthritis and campaign for better care and support. For more information about the survey or to request a paper copy, please email campaigns@arthritiscare.org.uk

BBC Radio 4 appeal

Broadcaster and Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley made the Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of Arthritis Care last month, speaking about how arthritis has affected her life and family.

Lack of NHS Resources in Wales Could Be Causing Delays to Arthritis Diagnosis and Treatment

Joint release from: British Society for Rheumatology and National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society

Rheumatology and arthritis societies raise concerns for arthritis services in Wales and call for more support to improve long-term patient outcomes.

The number of patients referred to rheumatology departments in Wales has increased by 66% since 2012, but resources for treatment are not keeping up with the demand, say patients and clinicians. As a consequence, new patients are waiting longer to be seen and treated and existing patients are struggling to secure follow up appointments and self-management advice. …

Read more of this article

Mediterranean diet can reduce inflammation and cartilage degradation in people with osteoarthritis

A Mediterranean diet can reduce markers of inflammation and improve knee flexion and hip rotation in people with osteoarthritis, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Kent and published in the Journal of Nutrition Health and Aging this week.

The study, commissioned by UK charity Arthritis Action, examined the effects of a Mediterranean type diet on 99 patients with osteoarthritis. Half of the participants followed a Mediterranean type diet for 16 weeks, whereas the other half continued their usual dietary behaviour.…

Read more of this article