Our team is comprised of scientists from across Canada 🇨🇦, spanning multiple disciplines.
Pictured here: our rare disease registry team meeting in Halifax. It was such a valuable opportunity to connect in person. Moments like this remind us how powerful national collaboration is!
Pregnant patients with rheumatic diseases face higher preeclampsia risk. In our study from a Canadian registry, most met criteria for low-dose aspirin (ASA). While outcomes were similar between groups, findings support low-dose aspirin use in high-risk patients per guidelines. #Rheumatology #OBGYN
- 1 in 4 people who experienced sleep disturbances used cannabis to improve sleep/arthritis symptoms & many felt it provided some relief.
- Cannabis users did not report better health-related QOL or better arthritis symptoms, & reported significantly worse anxiety & depression than non-users.
PhD student Nicole Andersen & scientist Dr. Deborah Da Costa presenting their study that looked at cannabis use in people with inflammatory arthritis enrolled in testing an intervention for insomnia.
🔑Key findings in ⬇️ reply.
Dr. Choi & team identified a promising new biomarker of lung disease in people with inflammatory diseases of the muscles. This blood test could allow earlier detection, and treatment, of deadly lung complications of this disease. Presented by Nathan Barreth at CRA.
🖇️To learn more: ow.ly/9ckM50YKJiJ
Pictured here is Arthritis Research Canada scientist Dr. May Choi and her team at the 2026 CRA Annual Scientific Meeting!
Some highlights from our team include testing of programs: 1. an online program for insomnia, which was successful at improving sleep scores for people with arthritis & 2. an 'Appointments by Choice' system which provides a new way of providing flexible follow up care for rheumatoid arthritis.
We are excited to share executive summaries of the research abstracts that Arthritis Research Canada scientists & trainees are presenting at the 2026 Canadian Rheumatology Association Scientific Meeting. Check out our presentations here: ow.ly/9ckM50YKJiJ
Congratulations to Dr. Raheem Kherani for being recognized with a Practice Reflection Award from the Canadian Rheumatology Association for leading the development of a mini practice audit tool with UBC rheumatology resident Dr. Madelaine Beckett that allows rheumatologists to review & improve care!
On behalf of our team at Arthritis Research Canada, we want to congratulate Dr. Barnabe on this well-deserved achievement! 🎉
Our Scientific Director Dr. @dlacaille.bsky.social & scientist Dr. Cheryl Barnabe are at the 2026 CRA Annual Scientific Meeting in Halifax this week.
Dr. Cheryl Barnabe was honoured with a Distinguished Investigator award for her research & work providing arthritis care in Indigenous communities.
🚨 The bottom line is... Use HCQ ≤5 mg/kg/day. Screen with SD-OCT within 1 year, then annually from year 5 (earlier for >5 mg/kg/day, CKD, female, Asian patients).
🔗Link to publication: acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
@aavina.bsky.social
Our new study finds HCQ retinopathy risk increases with duration and dose. Pooled prevalence is 5.1%, and cumulative incidence reaches 5.6% by 15 years. Higher risk: >5 mg/kg/day, CKD, female sex, Asian ethnicity. This supports dose optimization and targeted SD-OCT screening.
Reported outcomes: congenital anomalies, preterm birth, spontaneous abortion, but data were limited.
⚠️ Major evidence gaps remain that preclude providers and patients from making informed decisions when considering the perinatal use of tsDMARDs.
🔗 Link to paper: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39895048/
🧪📚 Our team's scoping review of tsDMARD use in pregnancy: From 6,712 records, only 8 studies met criteria (mostly case reports; n=1–116). Evidence was available on tofacitinib, baricitinib & upadacitinib; none on apremilast.
Prognosis and long term outcome of stenotic large vessel involvement in giant cell arteritis. Graphical abstract created using BioRender
Stenotic large vessel vasculitis is a rare and largely unknown subtype of giant cell arteritis (GCA). Retrospective study of 3,149 patients evaluated long-term outcome and prognosis of GCA with stenotic LVV
Arthritis & Rheumatology
acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Spondyloarthritis preceding and following inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis and risk factors: a temporal trends analysis in a population-based cohort. A graphical abstract
In a nationwide cohort, spondyloarthritis diagnosis was associated with inflammatory bowel disease preceding & following its diagnosis. Findings also demonstrated temporal variability & highlighted clinical variables associated with SpA in IBD
A&R
doi.org/10.1002/art....
@predictibd.bsky.social
Randomised controlled trial led by @lli-1.bsky.social shows counselling combined with self-monitoring tools can help people with #RheumatoidArthritis manage their condition better. It can also improve symptoms like fatigue & mood.
🔗Link to paper: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38152927/
Bottom line: ILD may progress despite myositis remission. Ongoing pulmonary monitoring is essential 🫁
Link to paper: acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
ILD trajectories differ across IIM subsets. In a BC cohort (n=111), our team found that PmPPF occurred in 13.5%, mainly in anti-MDA5+ DM & antisynthetase syndrome, and was absent in scleromyositis. PmPPF associated with ↑ active disease, ↑ rapidly progressive ILD & ↑ transplant (20% vs 1.3%).
Published in Arthritis & Rheumatology @acr-journals.bsky.social : acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
New population-based study (n=229,300 T2D): GLP-1RAs & SGLT2is showed no ↑ or ↓ in overall autoimmune rheumatic disease risk vs. DPP4is. But SGLT2is were linked to ~50% ↓ risk of systemic ARDs. Study led by Dr. @derinkaracabeyli.bsky.social. See infographic 👇
JointHealth™ express - #ArthritisAtHome 306 – A discussion on rheum-oncology & artificial intelligence in rheumatology.
Watch now: arthritisathome.jointhealth.org?p=6743
#cancer #arthritis #AI @arthritispower.bsky.social @arthritistrainees.bsky.social @schroeder-uhn.bsky.social @achronicvoice.com
Takin hydroxychloroquine as prescribed- reduces hospitalizations snd save dollars!! - as simple as that!!
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists, Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors, and Risk of Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases. Graphical abstract created using BioRender
What is the impact of GLP-1RA & SGLT2i use on risk of developing autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARD)? Data from a Canadian cohort of adults w/ type 2 diabetes showed SGLT2i use was assoc w/ lower risk of systemic ARDs, but neither GLP-1RA nor SGLT2i treatment was assoc w/ lower non-systemic ARD risk
🔗Link to full paper: acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Our new study finds that early antimalarial adherence (PDC≥0.90) in incident RA/SLE is associated with lower acute care use & costs (BC cohort, 1997–2022; n=25,247): 11% ↓ admissions (RR 0.89), 21% ↓ hosp days (RR 0.79), −$550 CAD costs. Robust to sensitivity analyses. See graphical abstract below.
JointHealth™ express - Now Launching: JointHealth™ Education – #Arthritis and #MentalHealth. Click here to begin the course: bit.ly/JointHealthE...
Thank you Dr. Susan Bartlett for your help with this course! 🥰
@schroeder-uhn.bsky.social @arthritistrainees.bsky.social @arthritispower.bsky.social
Creation of these guidelines was led by the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) and the Canadian Research Group of Rheumatology in Immuno-Oncology (CanRIO), with collaboration from several Arthritis Research Canada scientists.
📄 Paper 1: shorturl.at/7UPGf
📄 Paper 2: shorturl.at/PP718
New Canadian living guidelines address an important gap in cancer care: managing immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with pre-existing inflammatory arthritis & systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. See GRADE-based, disease-specific recommendations in the embedded infographic.