Michael E. Weinblatt, MD, and colleagues are conducting the first randomized, placebo-controlled study using an immunomodulator with pegloticase to increase urate-lowering response durability. Initial findings confirm the superiority of pegloticase plus methotrexate co-therapy to pegloticase monotherapy.

Brigham rheumatologist and Lupus Program director Karen Costenbader, MD, MPH, helped develop a risk prediction model for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) incorporating genetic, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors, as well as family history. Clinicians one day may use the model to predict individuals’ SLE risks.

Members of the Division of Rheumatology, Inflammation and Immunity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital presented over 120 lectures and poster presentations at the 2022 American College of Rheumatology’s annual convergence conference. Learn more about a few of their cutting-edge presentations.

In the first study of its kind, Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers showed that individuals with rheumatic conditions residing in neighborhoods with high social or heat vulnerability have greater odds of recurrent hospitalization than those with lower vulnerability.

Calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD) disease affects 8-10 million adults in the U.S., yet knowledge of CPPD lags far behind that of gout and other types of inflammatory arthritis. The Brigham’s Sara Tedeschi, MD, MPH, and the research team are working to understand the disease better and improve patient care.