ARP Rheumatology

💬 Sexual health is an important part of living well with a rheumatic disease.

Although sexual health has a major impact on quality of life, emotional well-being, and personal relationships, it is still rarely discussed during routine rheumatology care.

This editorial highlights why we need to move beyond focusing only on sexual dysfunction and develop assessment tools that better reflect the real experiences and needs of people living with rheumatic diseases.

By bringing sexual health into everyday clinical care and research, we can provide more holistic, patient-centred care and improve outcomes that truly matter to patients.

Read the editorial and join the conversation about making sexual health a routine part of rheumatology care

🔗https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1651

Could anifrolumab offer a new treatment option for refractory autoimmune cytopenias in rare interferonopathies?

A new case report describes a patient with spondyloenchondrodysplasia (SPENCD)-associated lupus and transfusion-dependent autoimmune hemolytic anemia who achieved sustained remission after starting anifrolumab.

The article also reviews the current understanding of SPENCD and the growing evidence supporting type I interferon blockade as a targeted, steroid-sparing approach for these challenging conditions.

An important contribution to the evolving field of precision medicine in rare autoimmune diseases.

🔗https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1657

Can subcutaneous methotrexate improve outcomes and reduce costs in rheumatoid arthritis?

A new study from Portugal suggests the answer is yes.

Researchers found that, compared with oral methotrexate, subcutaneous methotrexate provided better health outcomes while reducing lifetime healthcare costs. Patients gained more quality-adjusted life years, experienced better disease control, required biologic therapies later, and had fewer hospitalizations.

These findings support wider adoption of subcutaneous methotrexate as a cost-effective treatment strategy for rheumatoid arthritis.

📖 Read the full article at https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1652

📢 New publication in ARP Rheumatology!

This study shows that patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who develop small bowel obstruction (SBO) experience significantly worse outcomes than patients with SBO alone, including:
✔️ Higher mortality
✔️ Lower 5-year survival
✔️ More malnutrition and sepsis
✔️ More hospitalisations

These findings reinforce the importance of early diagnosis, close monitoring, and multidisciplinary care for this high-risk group.

Congratulations to all the authors on this important work!

🔗https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1647

We are pleased to present the latest bibliometric indicators for our journal!

📈 CiteScore 2025: 2.1
🏅 CiteScore Ranking: 55/77 in Rheumatology

📖 2025 Journal Impact Factor (JCR): 1.3
🏅 JCR Ranking: 46/58 in Rheumatology

We sincerely thank our authors, reviewers, editorial board members, readers, and everyone who contributes to the journal.

Your dedication and support are fundamental to our mission of publishing rigorous, clinically relevant, and impactful research in rheumatology.

Together, we remain committed to advancing research and improving lives.

📊 We are pleased to announce the journal's 2025 CiteScore and ranking:

🔹 CiteScore: 2.1
🔹 Ranking: 55/77 in Rheumatology

We would like to thank all our authors, reviewers, editors, and readers for their invaluable contributions and continued support.

Your commitment is essential to maintaining the quality and impact of ARP Rheumatology.

Together, we remain committed to advancing rheumatology through the publication of high-quality scientific research

🦠 Not every case of inflammatory arthritis is an autoimmune disease.

A nationwide study has shown that parvovirus B19 infection can closely resemble early inflammatory rheumatic diseases, often presenting with acute symmetrical polyarthritis affecting multiple joints.

Interestingly:

✅ 32% of patients had positive ANA tests
✅ Nearly 20% had positive rheumatoid factor
✅ Most patients improved within weeks
✅ Anti-CCP antibodies were negative in all patients

These findings highlight the importance of considering viral causes when evaluating new-onset inflammatory arthritis.

🔗https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1643

🩺 Can IVIG help in severe gastrointestinal complications of systemic sclerosis?

A fascinating case presented at EULAR 2026 describes a patient with rapidly progressive diffuse systemic sclerosis who developed severe gastrointestinal involvement, including recurrent pseudo-obstruction and repeated episodes of colonic volvulus—a rare but potentially life-threatening complication.

Despite surgery and supportive care, the episodes continued to recur.

Following treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), the patient showed substantial clinical and radiological improvement, with resolution of the obstructive episodes.

Although this is a single case report, it is believed to be the first description of successful IVIG treatment in systemic sclerosis complicated by mechanical colonic volvulus.

The case highlights the diverse and sometimes unexpected manifestations of systemic sclerosis and suggests that IVIG may have a role in selected patients with severe, refractory gastrointestinal disease

🔗https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1644

🦋 A positive Direct Coombs test may indicate increased disease activity in lupus—even without haemolytic anaemia.

Researchers presented data at EULAR 2026 examining the significance of Direct Coombs test (DCT) positivity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who did not have autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.

Key findings:

✅ One-third of patients were DCT-positive despite having no evidence of haemolysis

✅ DCT-positive patients had significantly higher disease activity scores

✅ Arthritis was more common in the DCT-positive group

✅ Higher anti-dsDNA antibody levels were also observed

These results suggest that DCT positivity may reflect increased immune activation and immune complex burden at a given point in time, potentially serving as a simple marker of active disease.

Further studies are needed to determine whether DCT positivity can predict future flares or help monitor disease progression over time.
https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1645

🧬 New advances are changing the treatment landscape of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM).

These rare autoimmune diseases can affect muscles, skin, lungs, heart, and other organs, often causing significant disability and reduced quality of life.

While corticosteroids and conventional immunosuppressive therapies remain the foundation of treatment, recent years have brought several exciting developments:

✅ Stronger evidence supporting intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), particularly in dermatomyositis

✅ Growing experience with biologic therapies such as rituximab and abatacept

✅ Promising early results with JAK inhibitors targeting specific immune pathways

✅ Improved disease classification through myositis-specific autoantibodies, paving the way for more personalised treatment strategies

Researchers are increasingly focusing on precision medicine approaches that match therapies to individual disease characteristics rather than relying on broad immunosuppression alone.

At the same time, multidisciplinary care, pulmonary and cardiac monitoring, rehabilitation, exercise, and patient-reported outcomes remain essential components of comprehensive myositis management.

The future of myositis treatment is moving towards more targeted, personalised, and patient-centred care.

🔗https://www.arprheumatology.com/article_abstract.php?id=1646