Randy Dotinga

SAN DIEGO – Hospitalized patients who developed acute kidney injury and fully recovered faced triple the risk of dementia of other hospitalized patients.

That’s according to a new study offering more evidence of a link between kidney disease and neurological problems.

“Clinicians should know that AKI is associated with poor long-term outcomes,” said lead author Jessica B. Kendrick MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Aurora. “We need to identify ways to prevent these long-term consequences.”

The findings were presented at Kidney Week 2018, sponsored by the American Society of Nephrology.

According to Dr. Kendrick, the acute neurological effects of AKI are well known. But no previous studies have examined the potential long-term cerebrovascular complications of AKI.

For the new study, Dr. Kendrick and her colleagues retrospectively analyzed 2,082 hospitalized patients in Utah from 1999 to 2009: 1,041 who completely recovered from AKI by discharge, and 1,041 who did not have AKI.

The average age was 61 years, and the average baseline creatinine was 0.9 ± 0.2 mg/dL. Over a median follow-up of 6 years, 97 patients developed dementia.

Those with AKI were more likely to develop dementia compared with the control group: 7% vs. 2% (hazard ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.14-5.40).

Other studies have linked kidney disease to cognitive impairment.

“There are a lot of theories as to why this is,” nephrologist Daniel Weiner, MD, of Tufts University, Boston, said in an interview. “It is most likely that the presence of kidney disease identifies individuals with a high burden of vascular disease, and that vascular disease, particularly of the small blood vessels, is an important contributor to cognitive impairment and dementia.”

That appears to be most notable in people who have protein in their urine, Dr. Weiner added. “The presence of protein in the urine identifies a severe enough process to affect the blood vessels in the kidney, and there is no reason to think that blood vessels elsewhere in the body, including in the brain, are not similarly affected.”

As for the current study, Dr. Weiner said it could support the vascular disease theory.

“People with vulnerable kidneys to acute injury also have vulnerable brains to acute injury,” he said. “People who get AKI usually have susceptibility to perfusion-related kidney injury. In other words, the small blood vessels that supply the kidney are unable to compensate to maintain sufficient blood flow during a time of low blood pressure or other systemic illness.”

That vulnerability “suggests to me that small blood vessels elsewhere in the body are less likely to be able to respond to challenges like low blood pressure,” Dr. Weiner explained. “If this occurs in the brain, it leads to microvascular disease and greater abnormal white-matter burden. This change in the brain anatomy is highly correlated with cognitive impairment.”

How can physicians put these finding to use? “These patients may require more monitoring,” Dr. Kendrick said. “For example, patients with AKI and complete recovery may not have any follow-up with a nephrologist, and perhaps they should.”

Moving forward, she said, “we are examining the association of AKI with cognitive dysfunction in different patient populations.” Researchers also are planning studies to better understand the mechanisms that are at work, she said.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the study. The study authors had no disclosures.
 

SOURCE: Kendrick JB et al. Kidney Week 2018. Abstract TH-OR116.

SAN DIEGO – Hospitalized patients who developed acute kidney injury and fully recovered faced triple the risk of dementia of other hospitalized patients.

That’s according to a new study offering more evidence of a link between kidney disease and neurological problems.

“Clinicians should know that AKI is associated with poor long-term outcomes,” said lead author Jessica B. Kendrick MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Aurora. “We need to identify ways to prevent these long-term consequences.”

The findings were presented at Kidney Week 2018, sponsored by the American Society of Nephrology.

According to Dr. Kendrick, the acute neurological effects of AKI are well known. But no previous studies have examined the potential long-term cerebrovascular complications of AKI.

For the new study, Dr. Kendrick and her colleagues retrospectively analyzed 2,082 hospitalized patients in Utah from 1999 to 2009: 1,041 who completely recovered from AKI by discharge, and 1,041 who did not have AKI.

The average age was 61 years, and the average baseline creatinine was 0.9 ± 0.2 mg/dL. Over a median follow-up of 6 years, 97 patients developed dementia.

Those with AKI were more likely to develop dementia compared with the control group: 7% vs. 2% (hazard ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.14-5.40).

Other studies have linked kidney disease to cognitive impairment.

“There are a lot of theories as to why this is,” nephrologist Daniel Weiner, MD, of Tufts University, Boston, said in an interview. “It is most likely that the presence of kidney disease identifies individuals with a high burden of vascular disease, and that vascular disease, particularly of the small blood vessels, is an important contributor to cognitive impairment and dementia.”

That appears to be most notable in people who have protein in their urine, Dr. Weiner added. “The presence of protein in the urine identifies a severe enough process to affect the blood vessels in the kidney, and there is no reason to think that blood vessels elsewhere in the body, including in the brain, are not similarly affected.”

As for the current study, Dr. Weiner said it could support the vascular disease theory.

“People with vulnerable kidneys to acute injury also have vulnerable brains to acute injury,” he said. “People who get AKI usually have susceptibility to perfusion-related kidney injury. In other words, the small blood vessels that supply the kidney are unable to compensate to maintain sufficient blood flow during a time of low blood pressure or other systemic illness.”

That vulnerability “suggests to me that small blood vessels elsewhere in the body are less likely to be able to respond to challenges like low blood pressure,” Dr. Weiner explained. “If this occurs in the brain, it leads to microvascular disease and greater abnormal white-matter burden. This change in the brain anatomy is highly correlated with cognitive impairment.”

How can physicians put these finding to use? “These patients may require more monitoring,” Dr. Kendrick said. “For example, patients with AKI and complete recovery may not have any follow-up with a nephrologist, and perhaps they should.”

Moving forward, she said, “we are examining the association of AKI with cognitive dysfunction in different patient populations.” Researchers also are planning studies to better understand the mechanisms that are at work, she said.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the study. The study authors had no disclosures.
 

SOURCE: Kendrick JB et al. Kidney Week 2018. Abstract TH-OR116.

SAN DIEGO – Hospitalized patients who developed acute kidney injury and fully recovered faced triple the risk of dementia of other hospitalized patients.

That’s according to a new study offering more evidence of a link between kidney disease and neurological problems.

“Clinicians should know that AKI is associated with poor long-term outcomes,” said lead author Jessica B. Kendrick MD, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, Aurora. “We need to identify ways to prevent these long-term consequences.”

The findings were presented at Kidney Week 2018, sponsored by the American Society of Nephrology.

According to Dr. Kendrick, the acute neurological effects of AKI are well known. But no previous studies have examined the potential long-term cerebrovascular complications of AKI.

For the new study, Dr. Kendrick and her colleagues retrospectively analyzed 2,082 hospitalized patients in Utah from 1999 to 2009: 1,041 who completely recovered from AKI by discharge, and 1,041 who did not have AKI.

The average age was 61 years, and the average baseline creatinine was 0.9 ± 0.2 mg/dL. Over a median follow-up of 6 years, 97 patients developed dementia.

Those with AKI were more likely to develop dementia compared with the control group: 7% vs. 2% (hazard ratio, 3.4; 95% confidence interval, 2.14-5.40).

Other studies have linked kidney disease to cognitive impairment.

“There are a lot of theories as to why this is,” nephrologist Daniel Weiner, MD, of Tufts University, Boston, said in an interview. “It is most likely that the presence of kidney disease identifies individuals with a high burden of vascular disease, and that vascular disease, particularly of the small blood vessels, is an important contributor to cognitive impairment and dementia.”

That appears to be most notable in people who have protein in their urine, Dr. Weiner added. “The presence of protein in the urine identifies a severe enough process to affect the blood vessels in the kidney, and there is no reason to think that blood vessels elsewhere in the body, including in the brain, are not similarly affected.”

As for the current study, Dr. Weiner said it could support the vascular disease theory.

“People with vulnerable kidneys to acute injury also have vulnerable brains to acute injury,” he said. “People who get AKI usually have susceptibility to perfusion-related kidney injury. In other words, the small blood vessels that supply the kidney are unable to compensate to maintain sufficient blood flow during a time of low blood pressure or other systemic illness.”

That vulnerability “suggests to me that small blood vessels elsewhere in the body are less likely to be able to respond to challenges like low blood pressure,” Dr. Weiner explained. “If this occurs in the brain, it leads to microvascular disease and greater abnormal white-matter burden. This change in the brain anatomy is highly correlated with cognitive impairment.”

How can physicians put these finding to use? “These patients may require more monitoring,” Dr. Kendrick said. “For example, patients with AKI and complete recovery may not have any follow-up with a nephrologist, and perhaps they should.”

Moving forward, she said, “we are examining the association of AKI with cognitive dysfunction in different patient populations.” Researchers also are planning studies to better understand the mechanisms that are at work, she said.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the study. The study authors had no disclosures.
 

SOURCE: Kendrick JB et al. Kidney Week 2018. Abstract TH-OR116.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Julie C. Harper, MD, likes to warn her patients with acne about an unexpected possible side effect of treatment with isotretinoin. “You may become a dermatologist.”

After all, that’s exactly how Dr. Harper herself was inspired to pursue a career in dermatology. As a teenager, she had acne and was treated with isotretinoin three times. The experience was so influential that she went into dermatology with a specific goal of treating acne.

“I love all of it, and in my practice I treat everything,” said Dr. Harper, “but I have a special interest in helping people with acne be as clear as they can be.” Indeed, she helped found the American Acne and Rosacea Society, which she now serves as president.

Dr. Harper, who practices in Birmingham, Ala., spoke about her approach to acne and rosacea in an interview following one of her presentations at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

DERMATOLOGY NEWS: What drew you to focus on rosacea in addition to acne?

Dr. Harper: Acne and rosacea are often coupled together because both of them affect the face, and they create red bumps on the skin. But they’re very distinct diagnoses, and their pathogenesis is completely different. My interest in treating rosacea was secondary to acne, but I love to treat them both.

DN: Are they both equally challenging to treat?

Dr. Harper: In some ways, rosacea is more challenging to treat.

With acne, we have a pretty good algorithm for how we treat it. We can end with isotretinoin, which for many people is a cure. But we really don’t have that last step in rosacea.

DN: What are you doing differently with rosacea than you might not have done a few years ago?

Dr. Harper: More combination therapy. The trend is more toward a comprehensive combination approach to treat everything we see in rosacea: Hit this as hard as you can. Hit everything you see. Part of that is because we have some newer drugs like the alpha-adrenergic agonists that work differently than anything we’ve had before.

We have a couple of good combination studies. One study examined ivermectin plus brimonidine (J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Sep 1;16[9]:909-16). Those two worked better together if you did not delay the brimonidine for 4 weeks and only used it with the ivermectin for part of the study.


There are also the newer studies that look at doxycycline plus ivermectin and compare it with ivermectin plus placebo. The combination works better, and it works faster (Adv Ther. 2016;33[9]:1481-1501; unpublished clinical trial data on file with Galderma, NCT03075891).

On top of those treatments, we may need to add laser for background redness, or an oral beta-blocker for flushing if the patient still complains of the symptoms.

DN: What’s most challenging to treat in rosacea?

Dr. Harper: The redness and phymatous changes are the hardest. Once you get phymatous changes, you have to do a physical modality.

Most of us think that if we treat rosacea aggressively up front, maybe we can prevent the phymatous changes. Prevention is key, just like prevention of acne scarring is easier than getting rid of scars once you have it.

Other than phyma, it’s the redness. Even the Food and Drug Administration–approved products we have for redness don’t work for flushing. Patients stand up to give up a presentation and “Oh no, here comes a red face.” That’s the hardest part to manage.

DN: How do beta-blockers fare at treating flushing?

Dr. Harper: They can help, but I don’t know that they can knock it out completely.

And we should remember that there are no FDA-approved beta-blockers to treat this. Most of the data we have are small case reports or case series. We don’t have a lot of data.

DN: Is there anything that’s used too much in rosacea?

Dr. Harper: Probably metronidazole. I understand why it’s used. It’s not a bad drug. But we have better drugs now.

I think we use metronidazole whenever things aren’t covered by insurance. And we use it to do too many things. Don’t try to make metronidazole do everything.

Metronidazole is FDA-approved for papules and pustules. It wasn’t ever intended to help with flushing and background erythema, and you’ll need to use something else with it.

DN: What’s coming down the line for rosacea?

Dr. Harper: We’ve got a couple new antibiotics: a new topical antibiotic and another oral antibiotic.

DN: Let’s talk about acne. Do you think isotretinoin is underused?

Dr. Harper: We should be using more of it. Why do we hold this drug hostage from our patients? In many people, it will cure their acne if they take it for just 5-6 months.

Are we worried about inflammatory bowel disease? The most recent studies say that’s not really an association. Are we worried about depression? We’ve had a meta-analysis that suggests if you take all that data, depression – if anything – gets better in people who take isotretinoin (Am J Gastroenterol. 2014 Apr;109[4]:563-9; J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jun;76[6]:1068-76.e9).

We need to take [the risk with pregnancy] seriously. But we need to be putting more people on the drug and giving them the opportunity to be clear.

 

DN: What should be used less in acne?

Dr. Harper: We should use less antibiotics and more of everything else – more hormonal treatments, more isotretinoin, more topical retinoids.

That doesn’t mean no antibiotics. But instead of doing three repetitive courses of antibiotics, do one. If acne recurs, go to isotretinoin. Go to an alternative.

DN: What about spironolactone in acne?

Dr. Harper: It’s a blood pressure medicine, but it’s got an antiandrogenic qualities. It blocks the androgen receptor so it’s like getting the benefits of the birth control pill without the estrogen. It can be very beneficial for acne in women.

Its use increased from 2004 to 2013, and people are getting the hang of it. But when you compare it with the number of antibiotics prescribed, antibiotics are written a whole lot more (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Sep;77[3],456-63.e4).

DN: Is there anything that is especially helpful in treating men?

Dr. Harper: Part of the way that birth control and spironolactone work is by decreasing sebum, and we don’t have anything like that for men. But potentially, there may be a topical antiandrogen product that decreases sebum.

DN: How do you deal with patients who are in a lot of distress because of acne or rosacea?

Dr. Harper: You listen to them and tell them you hear what they’re saying. “I understand that you want to be clear, and I’ll help you do that.”

Listen to why they’re not doing well and why they’re frustrated with what they’ve used. They might say, “I don’t use what you gave me because I don’t like the way it feels.” Or, “the drug that you prescribed is too expensive.”

If they’re really doing everything you said, and they’re not doing well, in both of those conditions it may be time for isotretinoin.

In acne, I’ve never seen it fail. It doesn’t work as predictably in rosacea, but it does pretty well if you do low-dose, intermittent isotretinoin.

DN: Do you ever try treatments that are unexpected for acne and rosacea?

Dr. Harper: If you use the right combination of what we have, and try to target pathogenesis, I don’t think we have to go off the reservation very often. We can get good results with what we have available.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications. Dr. Harper disclosed speaker/advisor relationships with Allergan, Bayer, BioPharmX, Galderma, La Roche–Posay, and Ortho Pharmaceutical, and has served as an investigator for Bayer.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Julie C. Harper, MD, likes to warn her patients with acne about an unexpected possible side effect of treatment with isotretinoin. “You may become a dermatologist.”

After all, that’s exactly how Dr. Harper herself was inspired to pursue a career in dermatology. As a teenager, she had acne and was treated with isotretinoin three times. The experience was so influential that she went into dermatology with a specific goal of treating acne.

“I love all of it, and in my practice I treat everything,” said Dr. Harper, “but I have a special interest in helping people with acne be as clear as they can be.” Indeed, she helped found the American Acne and Rosacea Society, which she now serves as president.

Dr. Harper, who practices in Birmingham, Ala., spoke about her approach to acne and rosacea in an interview following one of her presentations at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

DERMATOLOGY NEWS: What drew you to focus on rosacea in addition to acne?

Dr. Harper: Acne and rosacea are often coupled together because both of them affect the face, and they create red bumps on the skin. But they’re very distinct diagnoses, and their pathogenesis is completely different. My interest in treating rosacea was secondary to acne, but I love to treat them both.

DN: Are they both equally challenging to treat?

Dr. Harper: In some ways, rosacea is more challenging to treat.

With acne, we have a pretty good algorithm for how we treat it. We can end with isotretinoin, which for many people is a cure. But we really don’t have that last step in rosacea.

DN: What are you doing differently with rosacea than you might not have done a few years ago?

Dr. Harper: More combination therapy. The trend is more toward a comprehensive combination approach to treat everything we see in rosacea: Hit this as hard as you can. Hit everything you see. Part of that is because we have some newer drugs like the alpha-adrenergic agonists that work differently than anything we’ve had before.

We have a couple of good combination studies. One study examined ivermectin plus brimonidine (J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Sep 1;16[9]:909-16). Those two worked better together if you did not delay the brimonidine for 4 weeks and only used it with the ivermectin for part of the study.


There are also the newer studies that look at doxycycline plus ivermectin and compare it with ivermectin plus placebo. The combination works better, and it works faster (Adv Ther. 2016;33[9]:1481-1501; unpublished clinical trial data on file with Galderma, NCT03075891).

On top of those treatments, we may need to add laser for background redness, or an oral beta-blocker for flushing if the patient still complains of the symptoms.

DN: What’s most challenging to treat in rosacea?

Dr. Harper: The redness and phymatous changes are the hardest. Once you get phymatous changes, you have to do a physical modality.

Most of us think that if we treat rosacea aggressively up front, maybe we can prevent the phymatous changes. Prevention is key, just like prevention of acne scarring is easier than getting rid of scars once you have it.

Other than phyma, it’s the redness. Even the Food and Drug Administration–approved products we have for redness don’t work for flushing. Patients stand up to give up a presentation and “Oh no, here comes a red face.” That’s the hardest part to manage.

DN: How do beta-blockers fare at treating flushing?

Dr. Harper: They can help, but I don’t know that they can knock it out completely.

And we should remember that there are no FDA-approved beta-blockers to treat this. Most of the data we have are small case reports or case series. We don’t have a lot of data.

DN: Is there anything that’s used too much in rosacea?

Dr. Harper: Probably metronidazole. I understand why it’s used. It’s not a bad drug. But we have better drugs now.

I think we use metronidazole whenever things aren’t covered by insurance. And we use it to do too many things. Don’t try to make metronidazole do everything.

Metronidazole is FDA-approved for papules and pustules. It wasn’t ever intended to help with flushing and background erythema, and you’ll need to use something else with it.

DN: What’s coming down the line for rosacea?

Dr. Harper: We’ve got a couple new antibiotics: a new topical antibiotic and another oral antibiotic.

DN: Let’s talk about acne. Do you think isotretinoin is underused?

Dr. Harper: We should be using more of it. Why do we hold this drug hostage from our patients? In many people, it will cure their acne if they take it for just 5-6 months.

Are we worried about inflammatory bowel disease? The most recent studies say that’s not really an association. Are we worried about depression? We’ve had a meta-analysis that suggests if you take all that data, depression – if anything – gets better in people who take isotretinoin (Am J Gastroenterol. 2014 Apr;109[4]:563-9; J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jun;76[6]:1068-76.e9).

We need to take [the risk with pregnancy] seriously. But we need to be putting more people on the drug and giving them the opportunity to be clear.

 

DN: What should be used less in acne?

Dr. Harper: We should use less antibiotics and more of everything else – more hormonal treatments, more isotretinoin, more topical retinoids.

That doesn’t mean no antibiotics. But instead of doing three repetitive courses of antibiotics, do one. If acne recurs, go to isotretinoin. Go to an alternative.

DN: What about spironolactone in acne?

Dr. Harper: It’s a blood pressure medicine, but it’s got an antiandrogenic qualities. It blocks the androgen receptor so it’s like getting the benefits of the birth control pill without the estrogen. It can be very beneficial for acne in women.

Its use increased from 2004 to 2013, and people are getting the hang of it. But when you compare it with the number of antibiotics prescribed, antibiotics are written a whole lot more (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Sep;77[3],456-63.e4).

DN: Is there anything that is especially helpful in treating men?

Dr. Harper: Part of the way that birth control and spironolactone work is by decreasing sebum, and we don’t have anything like that for men. But potentially, there may be a topical antiandrogen product that decreases sebum.

DN: How do you deal with patients who are in a lot of distress because of acne or rosacea?

Dr. Harper: You listen to them and tell them you hear what they’re saying. “I understand that you want to be clear, and I’ll help you do that.”

Listen to why they’re not doing well and why they’re frustrated with what they’ve used. They might say, “I don’t use what you gave me because I don’t like the way it feels.” Or, “the drug that you prescribed is too expensive.”

If they’re really doing everything you said, and they’re not doing well, in both of those conditions it may be time for isotretinoin.

In acne, I’ve never seen it fail. It doesn’t work as predictably in rosacea, but it does pretty well if you do low-dose, intermittent isotretinoin.

DN: Do you ever try treatments that are unexpected for acne and rosacea?

Dr. Harper: If you use the right combination of what we have, and try to target pathogenesis, I don’t think we have to go off the reservation very often. We can get good results with what we have available.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications. Dr. Harper disclosed speaker/advisor relationships with Allergan, Bayer, BioPharmX, Galderma, La Roche–Posay, and Ortho Pharmaceutical, and has served as an investigator for Bayer.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Julie C. Harper, MD, likes to warn her patients with acne about an unexpected possible side effect of treatment with isotretinoin. “You may become a dermatologist.”

After all, that’s exactly how Dr. Harper herself was inspired to pursue a career in dermatology. As a teenager, she had acne and was treated with isotretinoin three times. The experience was so influential that she went into dermatology with a specific goal of treating acne.

“I love all of it, and in my practice I treat everything,” said Dr. Harper, “but I have a special interest in helping people with acne be as clear as they can be.” Indeed, she helped found the American Acne and Rosacea Society, which she now serves as president.

Dr. Harper, who practices in Birmingham, Ala., spoke about her approach to acne and rosacea in an interview following one of her presentations at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

DERMATOLOGY NEWS: What drew you to focus on rosacea in addition to acne?

Dr. Harper: Acne and rosacea are often coupled together because both of them affect the face, and they create red bumps on the skin. But they’re very distinct diagnoses, and their pathogenesis is completely different. My interest in treating rosacea was secondary to acne, but I love to treat them both.

DN: Are they both equally challenging to treat?

Dr. Harper: In some ways, rosacea is more challenging to treat.

With acne, we have a pretty good algorithm for how we treat it. We can end with isotretinoin, which for many people is a cure. But we really don’t have that last step in rosacea.

DN: What are you doing differently with rosacea than you might not have done a few years ago?

Dr. Harper: More combination therapy. The trend is more toward a comprehensive combination approach to treat everything we see in rosacea: Hit this as hard as you can. Hit everything you see. Part of that is because we have some newer drugs like the alpha-adrenergic agonists that work differently than anything we’ve had before.

We have a couple of good combination studies. One study examined ivermectin plus brimonidine (J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Sep 1;16[9]:909-16). Those two worked better together if you did not delay the brimonidine for 4 weeks and only used it with the ivermectin for part of the study.


There are also the newer studies that look at doxycycline plus ivermectin and compare it with ivermectin plus placebo. The combination works better, and it works faster (Adv Ther. 2016;33[9]:1481-1501; unpublished clinical trial data on file with Galderma, NCT03075891).

On top of those treatments, we may need to add laser for background redness, or an oral beta-blocker for flushing if the patient still complains of the symptoms.

DN: What’s most challenging to treat in rosacea?

Dr. Harper: The redness and phymatous changes are the hardest. Once you get phymatous changes, you have to do a physical modality.

Most of us think that if we treat rosacea aggressively up front, maybe we can prevent the phymatous changes. Prevention is key, just like prevention of acne scarring is easier than getting rid of scars once you have it.

Other than phyma, it’s the redness. Even the Food and Drug Administration–approved products we have for redness don’t work for flushing. Patients stand up to give up a presentation and “Oh no, here comes a red face.” That’s the hardest part to manage.

DN: How do beta-blockers fare at treating flushing?

Dr. Harper: They can help, but I don’t know that they can knock it out completely.

And we should remember that there are no FDA-approved beta-blockers to treat this. Most of the data we have are small case reports or case series. We don’t have a lot of data.

DN: Is there anything that’s used too much in rosacea?

Dr. Harper: Probably metronidazole. I understand why it’s used. It’s not a bad drug. But we have better drugs now.

I think we use metronidazole whenever things aren’t covered by insurance. And we use it to do too many things. Don’t try to make metronidazole do everything.

Metronidazole is FDA-approved for papules and pustules. It wasn’t ever intended to help with flushing and background erythema, and you’ll need to use something else with it.

DN: What’s coming down the line for rosacea?

Dr. Harper: We’ve got a couple new antibiotics: a new topical antibiotic and another oral antibiotic.

DN: Let’s talk about acne. Do you think isotretinoin is underused?

Dr. Harper: We should be using more of it. Why do we hold this drug hostage from our patients? In many people, it will cure their acne if they take it for just 5-6 months.

Are we worried about inflammatory bowel disease? The most recent studies say that’s not really an association. Are we worried about depression? We’ve had a meta-analysis that suggests if you take all that data, depression – if anything – gets better in people who take isotretinoin (Am J Gastroenterol. 2014 Apr;109[4]:563-9; J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jun;76[6]:1068-76.e9).

We need to take [the risk with pregnancy] seriously. But we need to be putting more people on the drug and giving them the opportunity to be clear.

 

DN: What should be used less in acne?

Dr. Harper: We should use less antibiotics and more of everything else – more hormonal treatments, more isotretinoin, more topical retinoids.

That doesn’t mean no antibiotics. But instead of doing three repetitive courses of antibiotics, do one. If acne recurs, go to isotretinoin. Go to an alternative.

DN: What about spironolactone in acne?

Dr. Harper: It’s a blood pressure medicine, but it’s got an antiandrogenic qualities. It blocks the androgen receptor so it’s like getting the benefits of the birth control pill without the estrogen. It can be very beneficial for acne in women.

Its use increased from 2004 to 2013, and people are getting the hang of it. But when you compare it with the number of antibiotics prescribed, antibiotics are written a whole lot more (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Sep;77[3],456-63.e4).

DN: Is there anything that is especially helpful in treating men?

Dr. Harper: Part of the way that birth control and spironolactone work is by decreasing sebum, and we don’t have anything like that for men. But potentially, there may be a topical antiandrogen product that decreases sebum.

DN: How do you deal with patients who are in a lot of distress because of acne or rosacea?

Dr. Harper: You listen to them and tell them you hear what they’re saying. “I understand that you want to be clear, and I’ll help you do that.”

Listen to why they’re not doing well and why they’re frustrated with what they’ve used. They might say, “I don’t use what you gave me because I don’t like the way it feels.” Or, “the drug that you prescribed is too expensive.”

If they’re really doing everything you said, and they’re not doing well, in both of those conditions it may be time for isotretinoin.

In acne, I’ve never seen it fail. It doesn’t work as predictably in rosacea, but it does pretty well if you do low-dose, intermittent isotretinoin.

DN: Do you ever try treatments that are unexpected for acne and rosacea?

Dr. Harper: If you use the right combination of what we have, and try to target pathogenesis, I don’t think we have to go off the reservation very often. We can get good results with what we have available.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications. Dr. Harper disclosed speaker/advisor relationships with Allergan, Bayer, BioPharmX, Galderma, La Roche–Posay, and Ortho Pharmaceutical, and has served as an investigator for Bayer.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Looking for a better treatment for a stubborn dermatologic condition? Pick up the telephone, work closely with nondermatologists, and find a dermatology specialty pharmacy. Seek out clinical trials that fit your patient’s needs. And be aware that data may not provide the best dosage protocols.

These tips and more came from Neal Bhatia, MD, director of clinical dermatology at Therapeutics Clinical Research in San Diego, who spoke about best practices in drug therapy at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. Dr. Bhatia urged colleagues not to give up on conditions such as vitiligo, alopecia areata, severe atopic dermatitis (AD), granulomatous disorders, recalcitrant urticaria, and itching, even when there is resistance from insurance companies. Instead, he said, rely on persistence and the power of a united front with other specialists.

Rheumatologists, oncologists, and allergists may be helpful allies in certain cases, he said, as can dermatologic specialty pharmacies. And if you’re dealing with a medical director of an insurance company, he said, make sure to call. Don’t write a letter or send a fax.

Because some treatments never get evaluated in clinical trials because of cost or lack of interest, he also recommended that dermatologists keep an eye on anecdotal protocols, which can provide helpful “real-world options,” he said in an interview. “Searching for conclusions from case reports and small independent studies can be just as informative and beneficial to patient care as pivotal data from large late-phase studies. Practical information, pearls on management, and other important tips can be found in anecdotes that were either too small or short in duration to be conducted as a validated trial.”

One option is to check ClinicalTrials.gov for a trial; another is to pursue an investigator-initiated study. “Some companies will offer the option to fund a small study for one or several patients to get them treatment and drugs without a high expense for the study or funding for the site’s costs,” Dr. Bhatia said.

In his presentation, Dr. Bhatia referred to a variety of dermatologic medications are showing promising results in trials, and some relatively new options.

Topical hypochlorous acid (Sebuderm gel) for dermatoses, such as seborrheic dermatitis. This prescription nonsteroidal gel is now available in the United States and was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for seborrhea and seborrheic dermatitis in 2015. Dr. Bhatia referred to a study presented in a poster at a meeting in 2017 that showed improvement in 20 of 24 patients with mild to moderate seborrheic dermatitis treated with this product after 28 days. None of the patients worsened, and overall disease activity fell by more than half.

Loyon lotion (Cetiol oil and dimethicone), a nonmedicated descaling treatment for scaly patches in infants with cradle cap (seborrheic dermatitis). A 2014 pilot study found that it improved scaling in 80% of 20 infants and children aged 3-36 months over 8 days, and it reached “treatment success” in 50% (Dermatol Ther [Heidelb]. 2014 Dec;4[2]:221-32).

(As for cost, GoodRx.com states that various pharmacies sell one 8-ounce [227-gram] bottle of Sebuderm gel for about $300 with a coupon. Loyon is also expensive, with a GoodRx.com listing its price at about $300, with coupon, for one 50-ml spray bottle.)

Dr. Bhatia also reviewed drugs in the research pipeline. Several drugs for AD are in early phases of research, while some phase 3 trials involving Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for AD are starting – or are close to starting.

He pointed to other research that’s underway on treatments for acne and rosacea. Three acne drugs that he said are “almost here” are minocycline gel and cortexolone 17 alpha-propionate 1% cream. He also referred to sarecycline, a tetracycline-derived antibiotic taken orally, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on October 2 for moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients aged 9 years and older.

This symposium was jointly presented by the University of Louisville (Ky.) and the Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Bhatia reported affiliations with multiple drugmakers: Abbvie, Aclaris, Almirall, Bayer, Biofrontera, BioPharmX, Dermira, Encore, EPI Health, Ferndale, Foamix, Galderma, IntraDerm, ISDIN, La Roche-Posay, Leo, Mayne, Menlo, Novartis, Ortho, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Promius, Regeneron, Sanofi, Skinfix, Soligenix, Sun, and Vidac.
 

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Looking for a better treatment for a stubborn dermatologic condition? Pick up the telephone, work closely with nondermatologists, and find a dermatology specialty pharmacy. Seek out clinical trials that fit your patient’s needs. And be aware that data may not provide the best dosage protocols.

These tips and more came from Neal Bhatia, MD, director of clinical dermatology at Therapeutics Clinical Research in San Diego, who spoke about best practices in drug therapy at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. Dr. Bhatia urged colleagues not to give up on conditions such as vitiligo, alopecia areata, severe atopic dermatitis (AD), granulomatous disorders, recalcitrant urticaria, and itching, even when there is resistance from insurance companies. Instead, he said, rely on persistence and the power of a united front with other specialists.

Rheumatologists, oncologists, and allergists may be helpful allies in certain cases, he said, as can dermatologic specialty pharmacies. And if you’re dealing with a medical director of an insurance company, he said, make sure to call. Don’t write a letter or send a fax.

Because some treatments never get evaluated in clinical trials because of cost or lack of interest, he also recommended that dermatologists keep an eye on anecdotal protocols, which can provide helpful “real-world options,” he said in an interview. “Searching for conclusions from case reports and small independent studies can be just as informative and beneficial to patient care as pivotal data from large late-phase studies. Practical information, pearls on management, and other important tips can be found in anecdotes that were either too small or short in duration to be conducted as a validated trial.”

One option is to check ClinicalTrials.gov for a trial; another is to pursue an investigator-initiated study. “Some companies will offer the option to fund a small study for one or several patients to get them treatment and drugs without a high expense for the study or funding for the site’s costs,” Dr. Bhatia said.

In his presentation, Dr. Bhatia referred to a variety of dermatologic medications are showing promising results in trials, and some relatively new options.

Topical hypochlorous acid (Sebuderm gel) for dermatoses, such as seborrheic dermatitis. This prescription nonsteroidal gel is now available in the United States and was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for seborrhea and seborrheic dermatitis in 2015. Dr. Bhatia referred to a study presented in a poster at a meeting in 2017 that showed improvement in 20 of 24 patients with mild to moderate seborrheic dermatitis treated with this product after 28 days. None of the patients worsened, and overall disease activity fell by more than half.

Loyon lotion (Cetiol oil and dimethicone), a nonmedicated descaling treatment for scaly patches in infants with cradle cap (seborrheic dermatitis). A 2014 pilot study found that it improved scaling in 80% of 20 infants and children aged 3-36 months over 8 days, and it reached “treatment success” in 50% (Dermatol Ther [Heidelb]. 2014 Dec;4[2]:221-32).

(As for cost, GoodRx.com states that various pharmacies sell one 8-ounce [227-gram] bottle of Sebuderm gel for about $300 with a coupon. Loyon is also expensive, with a GoodRx.com listing its price at about $300, with coupon, for one 50-ml spray bottle.)

Dr. Bhatia also reviewed drugs in the research pipeline. Several drugs for AD are in early phases of research, while some phase 3 trials involving Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for AD are starting – or are close to starting.

He pointed to other research that’s underway on treatments for acne and rosacea. Three acne drugs that he said are “almost here” are minocycline gel and cortexolone 17 alpha-propionate 1% cream. He also referred to sarecycline, a tetracycline-derived antibiotic taken orally, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on October 2 for moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients aged 9 years and older.

This symposium was jointly presented by the University of Louisville (Ky.) and the Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Bhatia reported affiliations with multiple drugmakers: Abbvie, Aclaris, Almirall, Bayer, Biofrontera, BioPharmX, Dermira, Encore, EPI Health, Ferndale, Foamix, Galderma, IntraDerm, ISDIN, La Roche-Posay, Leo, Mayne, Menlo, Novartis, Ortho, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Promius, Regeneron, Sanofi, Skinfix, Soligenix, Sun, and Vidac.
 

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Looking for a better treatment for a stubborn dermatologic condition? Pick up the telephone, work closely with nondermatologists, and find a dermatology specialty pharmacy. Seek out clinical trials that fit your patient’s needs. And be aware that data may not provide the best dosage protocols.

These tips and more came from Neal Bhatia, MD, director of clinical dermatology at Therapeutics Clinical Research in San Diego, who spoke about best practices in drug therapy at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. Dr. Bhatia urged colleagues not to give up on conditions such as vitiligo, alopecia areata, severe atopic dermatitis (AD), granulomatous disorders, recalcitrant urticaria, and itching, even when there is resistance from insurance companies. Instead, he said, rely on persistence and the power of a united front with other specialists.

Rheumatologists, oncologists, and allergists may be helpful allies in certain cases, he said, as can dermatologic specialty pharmacies. And if you’re dealing with a medical director of an insurance company, he said, make sure to call. Don’t write a letter or send a fax.

Because some treatments never get evaluated in clinical trials because of cost or lack of interest, he also recommended that dermatologists keep an eye on anecdotal protocols, which can provide helpful “real-world options,” he said in an interview. “Searching for conclusions from case reports and small independent studies can be just as informative and beneficial to patient care as pivotal data from large late-phase studies. Practical information, pearls on management, and other important tips can be found in anecdotes that were either too small or short in duration to be conducted as a validated trial.”

One option is to check ClinicalTrials.gov for a trial; another is to pursue an investigator-initiated study. “Some companies will offer the option to fund a small study for one or several patients to get them treatment and drugs without a high expense for the study or funding for the site’s costs,” Dr. Bhatia said.

In his presentation, Dr. Bhatia referred to a variety of dermatologic medications are showing promising results in trials, and some relatively new options.

Topical hypochlorous acid (Sebuderm gel) for dermatoses, such as seborrheic dermatitis. This prescription nonsteroidal gel is now available in the United States and was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for seborrhea and seborrheic dermatitis in 2015. Dr. Bhatia referred to a study presented in a poster at a meeting in 2017 that showed improvement in 20 of 24 patients with mild to moderate seborrheic dermatitis treated with this product after 28 days. None of the patients worsened, and overall disease activity fell by more than half.

Loyon lotion (Cetiol oil and dimethicone), a nonmedicated descaling treatment for scaly patches in infants with cradle cap (seborrheic dermatitis). A 2014 pilot study found that it improved scaling in 80% of 20 infants and children aged 3-36 months over 8 days, and it reached “treatment success” in 50% (Dermatol Ther [Heidelb]. 2014 Dec;4[2]:221-32).

(As for cost, GoodRx.com states that various pharmacies sell one 8-ounce [227-gram] bottle of Sebuderm gel for about $300 with a coupon. Loyon is also expensive, with a GoodRx.com listing its price at about $300, with coupon, for one 50-ml spray bottle.)

Dr. Bhatia also reviewed drugs in the research pipeline. Several drugs for AD are in early phases of research, while some phase 3 trials involving Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors for AD are starting – or are close to starting.

He pointed to other research that’s underway on treatments for acne and rosacea. Three acne drugs that he said are “almost here” are minocycline gel and cortexolone 17 alpha-propionate 1% cream. He also referred to sarecycline, a tetracycline-derived antibiotic taken orally, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on October 2 for moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients aged 9 years and older.

This symposium was jointly presented by the University of Louisville (Ky.) and the Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and the Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Bhatia reported affiliations with multiple drugmakers: Abbvie, Aclaris, Almirall, Bayer, Biofrontera, BioPharmX, Dermira, Encore, EPI Health, Ferndale, Foamix, Galderma, IntraDerm, ISDIN, La Roche-Posay, Leo, Mayne, Menlo, Novartis, Ortho, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Promius, Regeneron, Sanofi, Skinfix, Soligenix, Sun, and Vidac.
 

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Rosacea may be one disease, but it often requires more than one treatment, a dermatologist said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. Don’t assume you can just prescribe one drug like you might with acne, she advised.

“Treat everything that you see,” said dermatologist Julie C. Harper, MD, of Birmingham, Ala. “That may mean a laser or something you’re using off-label. Different lesions and signs of rosacea will require multiple modes of treatment.”

Dr. Harper offered these other pearls to consider when treating rosacea:

• Don’t get hung up on subtypes.

The four subtypes of rosacea should be used to classify lesions, not people, she said. That’s because patients can fall into more than one of the four categories – erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, papulopustular rosacea, phymatous rosacea, and ocular rosacea, she noted.

“Document the redness you see and ask them what’s bothering them the most,” she said. And ask yourself, she added, “Do I have them on everything that I should have them on?”

• Talk to patients about triggers.

For the first visit, “we have to talk to patients about skin care and triggers,” Dr. Harper noted. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, common rosacea triggers include sunlight, hairspray, heat, stress, alcohol, and spicy foods.

• Consider an ivermectin-brimonidine combination.

“Targeting inflammation in papules and pustules doesn’t necessarily translate to less background erythema,” Dr. Harper said. What to do? She pointed to a 2017 study that examined a combination treatment of ivermectin 1% topical cream (Soolantra) and brimonidine 0.33% topical gel (Mirvaso) for patients with rosacea with moderate to severe persistent erythema and inflammatory lesions. Ivermectin is indicated for inflammatory lesions, while brimonidine treats persistent erythema.

Rosacea.org

At week 12, the proportion of patients who achieved investigator global assessment of clear or almost clear was 55.8% in the combination group, versus 36.8% of those in the vehicle group (P = .007), according to the study (J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Sep 1;16[9]:909-16). Dr. Harper highlighted the effect of brimonidine when added to ivermectin. “In a period of 3 hours,” she said, “we had twice as many people fall into clear or almost clear.”

• Consider adding botulinum toxin to your toolbox.

This “really does work,” Dr. Harper said. She pointed to a 2015 report of botulinum toxin use in two cases of refractory flushing and erythema and a 2012 report of 13 cases in patients with the same symptoms (Dermatology. 2015;230:299-301; J Drugs Dermatol. 2012 Dec;11[12]:e76-9). Dr. Harper said that she usually uses the full 50-unit dose of Botox.

• Consider a beta-blocker.

According to a 2018 report, the beta-blocker carvedilol (Coreg) showed benefit when added to other treatments in five patients with facial flushing and persistent erythema.

• Keep isotretinoin in mind.

A 2016 report suggested low-dose isotretinoin had value for difficult-to-treat papulopustular rosacea. As Dr. Harper noted, 57% of those who took isotretinoin reached the primary endpoint, versus 10% of those taking the placebo. However, relapses over 4 months were common, which is a sign that it may be wise to prescribe low doses over the long term, but not in females of child-bearing potential, she said.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Harper disclosed speaker/advisor relationships with Allergan, Bayer, BioPharmX, Galderma, LaRoche Posay, and Ortho and has served as investigator for Bayer.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Rosacea may be one disease, but it often requires more than one treatment, a dermatologist said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. Don’t assume you can just prescribe one drug like you might with acne, she advised.

“Treat everything that you see,” said dermatologist Julie C. Harper, MD, of Birmingham, Ala. “That may mean a laser or something you’re using off-label. Different lesions and signs of rosacea will require multiple modes of treatment.”

Dr. Harper offered these other pearls to consider when treating rosacea:

• Don’t get hung up on subtypes.

The four subtypes of rosacea should be used to classify lesions, not people, she said. That’s because patients can fall into more than one of the four categories – erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, papulopustular rosacea, phymatous rosacea, and ocular rosacea, she noted.

“Document the redness you see and ask them what’s bothering them the most,” she said. And ask yourself, she added, “Do I have them on everything that I should have them on?”

• Talk to patients about triggers.

For the first visit, “we have to talk to patients about skin care and triggers,” Dr. Harper noted. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, common rosacea triggers include sunlight, hairspray, heat, stress, alcohol, and spicy foods.

• Consider an ivermectin-brimonidine combination.

“Targeting inflammation in papules and pustules doesn’t necessarily translate to less background erythema,” Dr. Harper said. What to do? She pointed to a 2017 study that examined a combination treatment of ivermectin 1% topical cream (Soolantra) and brimonidine 0.33% topical gel (Mirvaso) for patients with rosacea with moderate to severe persistent erythema and inflammatory lesions. Ivermectin is indicated for inflammatory lesions, while brimonidine treats persistent erythema.

Rosacea.org

At week 12, the proportion of patients who achieved investigator global assessment of clear or almost clear was 55.8% in the combination group, versus 36.8% of those in the vehicle group (P = .007), according to the study (J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Sep 1;16[9]:909-16). Dr. Harper highlighted the effect of brimonidine when added to ivermectin. “In a period of 3 hours,” she said, “we had twice as many people fall into clear or almost clear.”

• Consider adding botulinum toxin to your toolbox.

This “really does work,” Dr. Harper said. She pointed to a 2015 report of botulinum toxin use in two cases of refractory flushing and erythema and a 2012 report of 13 cases in patients with the same symptoms (Dermatology. 2015;230:299-301; J Drugs Dermatol. 2012 Dec;11[12]:e76-9). Dr. Harper said that she usually uses the full 50-unit dose of Botox.

• Consider a beta-blocker.

According to a 2018 report, the beta-blocker carvedilol (Coreg) showed benefit when added to other treatments in five patients with facial flushing and persistent erythema.

• Keep isotretinoin in mind.

A 2016 report suggested low-dose isotretinoin had value for difficult-to-treat papulopustular rosacea. As Dr. Harper noted, 57% of those who took isotretinoin reached the primary endpoint, versus 10% of those taking the placebo. However, relapses over 4 months were common, which is a sign that it may be wise to prescribe low doses over the long term, but not in females of child-bearing potential, she said.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Harper disclosed speaker/advisor relationships with Allergan, Bayer, BioPharmX, Galderma, LaRoche Posay, and Ortho and has served as investigator for Bayer.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Rosacea may be one disease, but it often requires more than one treatment, a dermatologist said at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. Don’t assume you can just prescribe one drug like you might with acne, she advised.

“Treat everything that you see,” said dermatologist Julie C. Harper, MD, of Birmingham, Ala. “That may mean a laser or something you’re using off-label. Different lesions and signs of rosacea will require multiple modes of treatment.”

Dr. Harper offered these other pearls to consider when treating rosacea:

• Don’t get hung up on subtypes.

The four subtypes of rosacea should be used to classify lesions, not people, she said. That’s because patients can fall into more than one of the four categories – erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, papulopustular rosacea, phymatous rosacea, and ocular rosacea, she noted.

“Document the redness you see and ask them what’s bothering them the most,” she said. And ask yourself, she added, “Do I have them on everything that I should have them on?”

• Talk to patients about triggers.

For the first visit, “we have to talk to patients about skin care and triggers,” Dr. Harper noted. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, common rosacea triggers include sunlight, hairspray, heat, stress, alcohol, and spicy foods.

• Consider an ivermectin-brimonidine combination.

“Targeting inflammation in papules and pustules doesn’t necessarily translate to less background erythema,” Dr. Harper said. What to do? She pointed to a 2017 study that examined a combination treatment of ivermectin 1% topical cream (Soolantra) and brimonidine 0.33% topical gel (Mirvaso) for patients with rosacea with moderate to severe persistent erythema and inflammatory lesions. Ivermectin is indicated for inflammatory lesions, while brimonidine treats persistent erythema.

Rosacea.org

At week 12, the proportion of patients who achieved investigator global assessment of clear or almost clear was 55.8% in the combination group, versus 36.8% of those in the vehicle group (P = .007), according to the study (J Drugs Dermatol. 2017 Sep 1;16[9]:909-16). Dr. Harper highlighted the effect of brimonidine when added to ivermectin. “In a period of 3 hours,” she said, “we had twice as many people fall into clear or almost clear.”

• Consider adding botulinum toxin to your toolbox.

This “really does work,” Dr. Harper said. She pointed to a 2015 report of botulinum toxin use in two cases of refractory flushing and erythema and a 2012 report of 13 cases in patients with the same symptoms (Dermatology. 2015;230:299-301; J Drugs Dermatol. 2012 Dec;11[12]:e76-9). Dr. Harper said that she usually uses the full 50-unit dose of Botox.

• Consider a beta-blocker.

According to a 2018 report, the beta-blocker carvedilol (Coreg) showed benefit when added to other treatments in five patients with facial flushing and persistent erythema.

• Keep isotretinoin in mind.

A 2016 report suggested low-dose isotretinoin had value for difficult-to-treat papulopustular rosacea. As Dr. Harper noted, 57% of those who took isotretinoin reached the primary endpoint, versus 10% of those taking the placebo. However, relapses over 4 months were common, which is a sign that it may be wise to prescribe low doses over the long term, but not in females of child-bearing potential, she said.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Harper disclosed speaker/advisor relationships with Allergan, Bayer, BioPharmX, Galderma, LaRoche Posay, and Ortho and has served as investigator for Bayer.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Cutaneous necrosis. Porphyria cutanea tarda, accelerated photoaging, and actinic keratosis (AK). Cutaneous keratinocytic neoplasias. Two drugs – and a class of drugs commonly used in oncologic dermatology – can produce these skin conditions, a dermatologist cautioned his colleagues.

J. Mark Jackson, MD, of the University of Louisville (Ky.), highlighted these drug reactions in a presentation at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. The medications that can cause these skin-related adverse events are methotrexate, voriconazole (Vfend), and BRAF inhibitors.

Dr. Jackson referred to reports of cutaneous necrosis associated with methotrexate and highlighted a 2017 case series that compared 24 patients who developed the condition with a control population of patients taking methotrexate who did not develop it. The patients with this reaction were more likely to be older, had a higher starting dose, and had signs of kidney problems. They were also less likely to be taking folic acid supplements (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Aug;77[2]:247-55.e2).

“It’s pretty alarming,” he said. “They look like Stevens-Johnson syndrome/TEN [toxic epidermal necrolysis], but the pathology was differentiated,” he pointed out.

He cautioned, though, that this is not “a typical reaction.”

The oral antifungal drug voriconazole is often used in immunosuppressed patients, such as transplant patients, either as prophylaxis or therapy. It is highly photosensitizing and has been linked to porphyria cutanea tarda, accelerated photoaging, development of AKs, and aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (Am J Transplant 2008 Apr;8[4]:877-80; AIDS. 2008 Apr 23;22[7]:905-6; J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Jan;62[1]:31-7; Dermatol Surg. 2010 Nov;36[11]:1752-5).

The risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer may be quadrupled in patients who take this medication, Dr. Jackson said.

There also are reports of patients on voriconazole developing tense bullae that are suggestive of porphyria cutanea tarda but with normal porphyrin levels, he said. This resolves over time, once therapy has ceased.

The BRAF inhibitor chemotherapy drugs – vemurafenib (Zelboraf), dabrafenib (Tafinlar), and encorafenib (Braftovi) – are used to treat metastatic melanoma. They’ve been linked to rash and cutaneous keratinocytic neoplasias. Patients on these agents should be “closely monitored” for these conditions (Chem Immunol Allergy. 2012;97:191-202). Dr. Jackson emphasized the importance of photoprotection with these patients and noted that it’s crucial to see these patients every month because neoplasias can develop quickly, even within 4 weeks of starting the medication.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Jackson reported relationships with AbbVie, Accuitis, Aclaris, Galderma, Janssen, Lilly, Medimetriks, Novartis, Promius, Ralexar, and TopMD.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Cutaneous necrosis. Porphyria cutanea tarda, accelerated photoaging, and actinic keratosis (AK). Cutaneous keratinocytic neoplasias. Two drugs – and a class of drugs commonly used in oncologic dermatology – can produce these skin conditions, a dermatologist cautioned his colleagues.

J. Mark Jackson, MD, of the University of Louisville (Ky.), highlighted these drug reactions in a presentation at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. The medications that can cause these skin-related adverse events are methotrexate, voriconazole (Vfend), and BRAF inhibitors.

Dr. Jackson referred to reports of cutaneous necrosis associated with methotrexate and highlighted a 2017 case series that compared 24 patients who developed the condition with a control population of patients taking methotrexate who did not develop it. The patients with this reaction were more likely to be older, had a higher starting dose, and had signs of kidney problems. They were also less likely to be taking folic acid supplements (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Aug;77[2]:247-55.e2).

“It’s pretty alarming,” he said. “They look like Stevens-Johnson syndrome/TEN [toxic epidermal necrolysis], but the pathology was differentiated,” he pointed out.

He cautioned, though, that this is not “a typical reaction.”

The oral antifungal drug voriconazole is often used in immunosuppressed patients, such as transplant patients, either as prophylaxis or therapy. It is highly photosensitizing and has been linked to porphyria cutanea tarda, accelerated photoaging, development of AKs, and aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (Am J Transplant 2008 Apr;8[4]:877-80; AIDS. 2008 Apr 23;22[7]:905-6; J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Jan;62[1]:31-7; Dermatol Surg. 2010 Nov;36[11]:1752-5).

The risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer may be quadrupled in patients who take this medication, Dr. Jackson said.

There also are reports of patients on voriconazole developing tense bullae that are suggestive of porphyria cutanea tarda but with normal porphyrin levels, he said. This resolves over time, once therapy has ceased.

The BRAF inhibitor chemotherapy drugs – vemurafenib (Zelboraf), dabrafenib (Tafinlar), and encorafenib (Braftovi) – are used to treat metastatic melanoma. They’ve been linked to rash and cutaneous keratinocytic neoplasias. Patients on these agents should be “closely monitored” for these conditions (Chem Immunol Allergy. 2012;97:191-202). Dr. Jackson emphasized the importance of photoprotection with these patients and noted that it’s crucial to see these patients every month because neoplasias can develop quickly, even within 4 weeks of starting the medication.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Jackson reported relationships with AbbVie, Accuitis, Aclaris, Galderma, Janssen, Lilly, Medimetriks, Novartis, Promius, Ralexar, and TopMD.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Cutaneous necrosis. Porphyria cutanea tarda, accelerated photoaging, and actinic keratosis (AK). Cutaneous keratinocytic neoplasias. Two drugs – and a class of drugs commonly used in oncologic dermatology – can produce these skin conditions, a dermatologist cautioned his colleagues.

J. Mark Jackson, MD, of the University of Louisville (Ky.), highlighted these drug reactions in a presentation at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium. The medications that can cause these skin-related adverse events are methotrexate, voriconazole (Vfend), and BRAF inhibitors.

Dr. Jackson referred to reports of cutaneous necrosis associated with methotrexate and highlighted a 2017 case series that compared 24 patients who developed the condition with a control population of patients taking methotrexate who did not develop it. The patients with this reaction were more likely to be older, had a higher starting dose, and had signs of kidney problems. They were also less likely to be taking folic acid supplements (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Aug;77[2]:247-55.e2).

“It’s pretty alarming,” he said. “They look like Stevens-Johnson syndrome/TEN [toxic epidermal necrolysis], but the pathology was differentiated,” he pointed out.

He cautioned, though, that this is not “a typical reaction.”

The oral antifungal drug voriconazole is often used in immunosuppressed patients, such as transplant patients, either as prophylaxis or therapy. It is highly photosensitizing and has been linked to porphyria cutanea tarda, accelerated photoaging, development of AKs, and aggressive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (Am J Transplant 2008 Apr;8[4]:877-80; AIDS. 2008 Apr 23;22[7]:905-6; J Am Acad Dermatol. 2010 Jan;62[1]:31-7; Dermatol Surg. 2010 Nov;36[11]:1752-5).

The risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer may be quadrupled in patients who take this medication, Dr. Jackson said.

There also are reports of patients on voriconazole developing tense bullae that are suggestive of porphyria cutanea tarda but with normal porphyrin levels, he said. This resolves over time, once therapy has ceased.

The BRAF inhibitor chemotherapy drugs – vemurafenib (Zelboraf), dabrafenib (Tafinlar), and encorafenib (Braftovi) – are used to treat metastatic melanoma. They’ve been linked to rash and cutaneous keratinocytic neoplasias. Patients on these agents should be “closely monitored” for these conditions (Chem Immunol Allergy. 2012;97:191-202). Dr. Jackson emphasized the importance of photoprotection with these patients and noted that it’s crucial to see these patients every month because neoplasias can develop quickly, even within 4 weeks of starting the medication.

The Coastal Dermatology Symposium is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

Dr. Jackson reported relationships with AbbVie, Accuitis, Aclaris, Galderma, Janssen, Lilly, Medimetriks, Novartis, Promius, Ralexar, and TopMD.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Heads up! “Natural” mineral-based sunscreens don’t provide the protection of their rivals. Patients may get burned by scary hype about the supposed dangers of sunscreen. And sunscreen spray is great for the scalp of people whose hair is thinning.

In a presentation on sunscreens at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium, Vincent DeLeo, MD, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, offered the following tips on sunscreen and more.

Wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

Sunscreens are getting better and are faring poorly, too.

There’s good news and bad news about the strength and reliability of sunscreens.

On one hand, sunscreens are more powerful than in the past, Dr. DeLeo said. A 2013 comparison of sunscreens in 1997 and 2009 found that, among available sunscreens, the percentage of those with low SPF (under 15) fell from 27% to 6% during that time. (The Food and Drug Administration declared in 2011 that manufacturers must tell consumers that low SPF and/or non–broad spectrum sunscreens protect only against sunburn, not against skin cancer or skin aging.) The study also found that the percentage of sunscreens with UVA-1 (such as avobenzone or zinc oxide) filters grew from 5% to 70% (Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2013 Jan;12[1]:197-202).

But the label of sunscreens may not always be accurate. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports wrote that 36 of 73 sunscreens tested failed to correctly list their SPF protection level; 23 sunscreens missed their listed SPF levels by more than half. “Natural” or “mineral-only” sunscreens, which rely on such blockers as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, performed the worst. Some patients prefer to use these sunscreens because they aren’t chemical based, and “may want to have a more natural sunscreen,” Dr. DeLeo said. “But they should be aware the sunscreens don’t always live up to the SPF level on the label.”

Beware of warnings about sunscreens.

Reports have warned Americans about supposed risks of sunscreen use such as low vitamin D levels from the lack of sun exposure, the exposure to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles, and the exposure to retinyl palmitate in sunscreen. Hawaiian officials, meanwhile, are banning some types of sunscreen chemicals in order to protect coral reefs.

Typical use of sunscreen will not dangerously lower vitamin D levels, Dr. DeLeo said, but people who use it every day may want to be cautious. He dismissed the concerns about nanoparticles and retinyl palmitate.

Dr. DeLeo said two sunscreen risks are real; sunscreens can trigger irritation, at a rate as high as 20%, and, rarely, allergic reactions, as well.

American sunscreens don’t stack up worldwide.

Simplicity often is a virtue. But, Dr. DeLeo said, it’s not helpful when it comes to the components of American sunscreens.

U.S. regulations only allow 16 ingredients in sunscreen while several more are allowed in Europe, he said. According to him, this helps explain why European sunscreens do a better job. European sunscreens “are much more absorbent, much better at absorbing radiation than the U.S. sunscreens,” he said. “It’s because we don’t have the same products as they have in Europe.”

The good news, he said, is that the FDA is considering expanding the number of ingredients allowed in sunscreen. The Sunscreen Innovation Act of 2014, a law passed by Congress, allows the FDA to use efficacy and safety data from Europe without requiring manufacturers to launch new, multimillion dollar tests, he said.

That’s good news for companies that want to improve U.S. sunscreens by selling a wider variety of types. “Sooner or later,” he said, “we will probably get these.”

Sunscreen sprays are tops at scalp protection.

Sunscreen sprays shouldn’t be applied to the face in children, Dr. DeLeo said, but they’re great for solo people because they facilitate protecting the back when there isn’t someone around to help them apply topical sunscreen.

How much spray should people use? A lot, he said. He added that sunscreen sprays are especially useful for the scalps of people with thinning hair.

Dr. DeLeo disclosed consulting work for Estée Lauder.

The meeting is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Heads up! “Natural” mineral-based sunscreens don’t provide the protection of their rivals. Patients may get burned by scary hype about the supposed dangers of sunscreen. And sunscreen spray is great for the scalp of people whose hair is thinning.

In a presentation on sunscreens at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium, Vincent DeLeo, MD, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, offered the following tips on sunscreen and more.

Wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

Sunscreens are getting better and are faring poorly, too.

There’s good news and bad news about the strength and reliability of sunscreens.

On one hand, sunscreens are more powerful than in the past, Dr. DeLeo said. A 2013 comparison of sunscreens in 1997 and 2009 found that, among available sunscreens, the percentage of those with low SPF (under 15) fell from 27% to 6% during that time. (The Food and Drug Administration declared in 2011 that manufacturers must tell consumers that low SPF and/or non–broad spectrum sunscreens protect only against sunburn, not against skin cancer or skin aging.) The study also found that the percentage of sunscreens with UVA-1 (such as avobenzone or zinc oxide) filters grew from 5% to 70% (Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2013 Jan;12[1]:197-202).

But the label of sunscreens may not always be accurate. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports wrote that 36 of 73 sunscreens tested failed to correctly list their SPF protection level; 23 sunscreens missed their listed SPF levels by more than half. “Natural” or “mineral-only” sunscreens, which rely on such blockers as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, performed the worst. Some patients prefer to use these sunscreens because they aren’t chemical based, and “may want to have a more natural sunscreen,” Dr. DeLeo said. “But they should be aware the sunscreens don’t always live up to the SPF level on the label.”

Beware of warnings about sunscreens.

Reports have warned Americans about supposed risks of sunscreen use such as low vitamin D levels from the lack of sun exposure, the exposure to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles, and the exposure to retinyl palmitate in sunscreen. Hawaiian officials, meanwhile, are banning some types of sunscreen chemicals in order to protect coral reefs.

Typical use of sunscreen will not dangerously lower vitamin D levels, Dr. DeLeo said, but people who use it every day may want to be cautious. He dismissed the concerns about nanoparticles and retinyl palmitate.

Dr. DeLeo said two sunscreen risks are real; sunscreens can trigger irritation, at a rate as high as 20%, and, rarely, allergic reactions, as well.

American sunscreens don’t stack up worldwide.

Simplicity often is a virtue. But, Dr. DeLeo said, it’s not helpful when it comes to the components of American sunscreens.

U.S. regulations only allow 16 ingredients in sunscreen while several more are allowed in Europe, he said. According to him, this helps explain why European sunscreens do a better job. European sunscreens “are much more absorbent, much better at absorbing radiation than the U.S. sunscreens,” he said. “It’s because we don’t have the same products as they have in Europe.”

The good news, he said, is that the FDA is considering expanding the number of ingredients allowed in sunscreen. The Sunscreen Innovation Act of 2014, a law passed by Congress, allows the FDA to use efficacy and safety data from Europe without requiring manufacturers to launch new, multimillion dollar tests, he said.

That’s good news for companies that want to improve U.S. sunscreens by selling a wider variety of types. “Sooner or later,” he said, “we will probably get these.”

Sunscreen sprays are tops at scalp protection.

Sunscreen sprays shouldn’t be applied to the face in children, Dr. DeLeo said, but they’re great for solo people because they facilitate protecting the back when there isn’t someone around to help them apply topical sunscreen.

How much spray should people use? A lot, he said. He added that sunscreen sprays are especially useful for the scalps of people with thinning hair.

Dr. DeLeo disclosed consulting work for Estée Lauder.

The meeting is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – Heads up! “Natural” mineral-based sunscreens don’t provide the protection of their rivals. Patients may get burned by scary hype about the supposed dangers of sunscreen. And sunscreen spray is great for the scalp of people whose hair is thinning.

In a presentation on sunscreens at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium, Vincent DeLeo, MD, of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, offered the following tips on sunscreen and more.

Wavebreakmedia/Thinkstock

Sunscreens are getting better and are faring poorly, too.

There’s good news and bad news about the strength and reliability of sunscreens.

On one hand, sunscreens are more powerful than in the past, Dr. DeLeo said. A 2013 comparison of sunscreens in 1997 and 2009 found that, among available sunscreens, the percentage of those with low SPF (under 15) fell from 27% to 6% during that time. (The Food and Drug Administration declared in 2011 that manufacturers must tell consumers that low SPF and/or non–broad spectrum sunscreens protect only against sunburn, not against skin cancer or skin aging.) The study also found that the percentage of sunscreens with UVA-1 (such as avobenzone or zinc oxide) filters grew from 5% to 70% (Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2013 Jan;12[1]:197-202).

But the label of sunscreens may not always be accurate. Earlier this year, Consumer Reports wrote that 36 of 73 sunscreens tested failed to correctly list their SPF protection level; 23 sunscreens missed their listed SPF levels by more than half. “Natural” or “mineral-only” sunscreens, which rely on such blockers as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, performed the worst. Some patients prefer to use these sunscreens because they aren’t chemical based, and “may want to have a more natural sunscreen,” Dr. DeLeo said. “But they should be aware the sunscreens don’t always live up to the SPF level on the label.”

Beware of warnings about sunscreens.

Reports have warned Americans about supposed risks of sunscreen use such as low vitamin D levels from the lack of sun exposure, the exposure to titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles, and the exposure to retinyl palmitate in sunscreen. Hawaiian officials, meanwhile, are banning some types of sunscreen chemicals in order to protect coral reefs.

Typical use of sunscreen will not dangerously lower vitamin D levels, Dr. DeLeo said, but people who use it every day may want to be cautious. He dismissed the concerns about nanoparticles and retinyl palmitate.

Dr. DeLeo said two sunscreen risks are real; sunscreens can trigger irritation, at a rate as high as 20%, and, rarely, allergic reactions, as well.

American sunscreens don’t stack up worldwide.

Simplicity often is a virtue. But, Dr. DeLeo said, it’s not helpful when it comes to the components of American sunscreens.

U.S. regulations only allow 16 ingredients in sunscreen while several more are allowed in Europe, he said. According to him, this helps explain why European sunscreens do a better job. European sunscreens “are much more absorbent, much better at absorbing radiation than the U.S. sunscreens,” he said. “It’s because we don’t have the same products as they have in Europe.”

The good news, he said, is that the FDA is considering expanding the number of ingredients allowed in sunscreen. The Sunscreen Innovation Act of 2014, a law passed by Congress, allows the FDA to use efficacy and safety data from Europe without requiring manufacturers to launch new, multimillion dollar tests, he said.

That’s good news for companies that want to improve U.S. sunscreens by selling a wider variety of types. “Sooner or later,” he said, “we will probably get these.”

Sunscreen sprays are tops at scalp protection.

Sunscreen sprays shouldn’t be applied to the face in children, Dr. DeLeo said, but they’re great for solo people because they facilitate protecting the back when there isn’t someone around to help them apply topical sunscreen.

How much spray should people use? A lot, he said. He added that sunscreen sprays are especially useful for the scalps of people with thinning hair.

Dr. DeLeo disclosed consulting work for Estée Lauder.

The meeting is jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

MONTEREY, CALIF. – It’s only found in 2%-3% of allergy cases. So why was propylene glycol (PG) declared the Allergen of the Year for 2018 by the North American Contact Dermatitis Society? Because, a dermatologist told colleagues, it’s so common.

“If you’re allergic to it, it’s tough to stay away from it,” said Joseph F. Fowler Jr., MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Louisville (Ky.) in a presentation about contact dermatitis at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

Indeed, the synthetic compound PG is found in skin care products and cosmetics, coated pills, topical medications such as corticosteroids, foods (including bread, food coloring, and such flavorings as vanilla extracts). “It’s in every topical acne product I know of,” and is even in brake fluid and so-called nontoxic antifreeze, he said. (Propylene glycol shouldn’t be confused with the poisonous toxin ethylene glycol, which also is found in antifreeze.)

Patients can be tested for allergy to PG, Dr. Fowler pointed out, but it’s important to understand that it can trigger an irritation reaction that can be mistaken for an allergic reaction.

Dr. Fowler offered the following tips related to contact dermatitis and allergens. Be aware that metals, topical antibiotics, fragrances, and preservatives are most likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis. According to 2016 figures on allergen prevalence from the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG), allergy to the metal nickel is the most common (16%); followed by neomycin (9%); fragrance mix I, a mixture of fragrances used in allergen testing (9%); bacitracin (8%); and myroxylon, also known as balsam of Peru, which is used for a variety of purposes in food, medicines, and fragrances (7%).

These are followed by the metal cobalt (6%); the preservatives quaternium 15 and formaldehyde (both 6%); para-phenylenediamine, also known as PPD, which is used in hair dye (5%); and the fragrance mix II (5%), another mix of fragrances used in allergen testing.

Dr. Fowler cautioned that nickel can trigger an intense body-wide allergic reaction in children with atopic dermatitis. “In this situation, it’s really good to be compulsive and tell parents to absolutely keep that person away from nickel as much as humanly possible,” he said.

Keep an eye out for allergens that aren’t on the NACDG list, which includes 70 items. According to Dr. Fowler, more than 20% of his patients were positive to allergens not on the NACDG list.

Contact dermatitis is as common in children as in adults and can even be more common in children. An Italian study published in 2012 found that 70% of children aged 1-15 years tested via patch test were allergic to at least one allergen, a number that’s similar in adults (Dermatitis. 2012 Nov-Dec;23[6]:275-80). There are wide disparities in reported levels of children who are allergic to nickel, cobalt, and myroxylon, Dr. Fowler said.

The T.R.U.E. Test patch test system has value, compared with standard patch tests, but beware of its limitations, he advised. T.R.U.E. is easy to use and requires no prep time, he said, but the number of allergens is limited. By contrast, his clinic mostly uses the Finn Chambers on Scanpor tape system, which can test for many more allergens and is cheaper if used at least 5-10 times a month.

He cautioned that T.R.U.E. could miss the cause of contact dermatitis as often as 39% of the time, as demonstrated in one study of children undergoing patch testing (Arch Dermatol. 2008 Oct;144[10]:1329-36). However, he said, the T.R.U.E test has value in detecting allergies to nickel, methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI), and neomycin (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001 Dec;45[6]:836-9).

Consider patch testing in a child with eczema if the eczema is not in normal atopic areas, it spreads beyond normal areas, it doesn’t respond to usual treatments, or it begins later than 5 years of age.

And, Dr. Fowler added, it’s fine to perform patch testing on patients who are taking antihistamines, tumor necrosis factor–alpha inhibitors, NSAIDs, or methotrexate.

Dr. Fowler disclosed consulting for IntraDerm, serving on speakers bureaus for SmartPractice and Regeneron/Sanofi, and serving as an investigator for companies that include AbbVie, Allergan, Bayer, Dow, Galderma, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck, Regeneron, SmartPractice, and Valeant (now Bausch).

The meeting was jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

 

MONTEREY, CALIF. – It’s only found in 2%-3% of allergy cases. So why was propylene glycol (PG) declared the Allergen of the Year for 2018 by the North American Contact Dermatitis Society? Because, a dermatologist told colleagues, it’s so common.

“If you’re allergic to it, it’s tough to stay away from it,” said Joseph F. Fowler Jr., MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Louisville (Ky.) in a presentation about contact dermatitis at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

Indeed, the synthetic compound PG is found in skin care products and cosmetics, coated pills, topical medications such as corticosteroids, foods (including bread, food coloring, and such flavorings as vanilla extracts). “It’s in every topical acne product I know of,” and is even in brake fluid and so-called nontoxic antifreeze, he said. (Propylene glycol shouldn’t be confused with the poisonous toxin ethylene glycol, which also is found in antifreeze.)

Patients can be tested for allergy to PG, Dr. Fowler pointed out, but it’s important to understand that it can trigger an irritation reaction that can be mistaken for an allergic reaction.

Dr. Fowler offered the following tips related to contact dermatitis and allergens. Be aware that metals, topical antibiotics, fragrances, and preservatives are most likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis. According to 2016 figures on allergen prevalence from the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG), allergy to the metal nickel is the most common (16%); followed by neomycin (9%); fragrance mix I, a mixture of fragrances used in allergen testing (9%); bacitracin (8%); and myroxylon, also known as balsam of Peru, which is used for a variety of purposes in food, medicines, and fragrances (7%).

These are followed by the metal cobalt (6%); the preservatives quaternium 15 and formaldehyde (both 6%); para-phenylenediamine, also known as PPD, which is used in hair dye (5%); and the fragrance mix II (5%), another mix of fragrances used in allergen testing.

Dr. Fowler cautioned that nickel can trigger an intense body-wide allergic reaction in children with atopic dermatitis. “In this situation, it’s really good to be compulsive and tell parents to absolutely keep that person away from nickel as much as humanly possible,” he said.

Keep an eye out for allergens that aren’t on the NACDG list, which includes 70 items. According to Dr. Fowler, more than 20% of his patients were positive to allergens not on the NACDG list.

Contact dermatitis is as common in children as in adults and can even be more common in children. An Italian study published in 2012 found that 70% of children aged 1-15 years tested via patch test were allergic to at least one allergen, a number that’s similar in adults (Dermatitis. 2012 Nov-Dec;23[6]:275-80). There are wide disparities in reported levels of children who are allergic to nickel, cobalt, and myroxylon, Dr. Fowler said.

The T.R.U.E. Test patch test system has value, compared with standard patch tests, but beware of its limitations, he advised. T.R.U.E. is easy to use and requires no prep time, he said, but the number of allergens is limited. By contrast, his clinic mostly uses the Finn Chambers on Scanpor tape system, which can test for many more allergens and is cheaper if used at least 5-10 times a month.

He cautioned that T.R.U.E. could miss the cause of contact dermatitis as often as 39% of the time, as demonstrated in one study of children undergoing patch testing (Arch Dermatol. 2008 Oct;144[10]:1329-36). However, he said, the T.R.U.E test has value in detecting allergies to nickel, methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI), and neomycin (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001 Dec;45[6]:836-9).

Consider patch testing in a child with eczema if the eczema is not in normal atopic areas, it spreads beyond normal areas, it doesn’t respond to usual treatments, or it begins later than 5 years of age.

And, Dr. Fowler added, it’s fine to perform patch testing on patients who are taking antihistamines, tumor necrosis factor–alpha inhibitors, NSAIDs, or methotrexate.

Dr. Fowler disclosed consulting for IntraDerm, serving on speakers bureaus for SmartPractice and Regeneron/Sanofi, and serving as an investigator for companies that include AbbVie, Allergan, Bayer, Dow, Galderma, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck, Regeneron, SmartPractice, and Valeant (now Bausch).

The meeting was jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

 

MONTEREY, CALIF. – It’s only found in 2%-3% of allergy cases. So why was propylene glycol (PG) declared the Allergen of the Year for 2018 by the North American Contact Dermatitis Society? Because, a dermatologist told colleagues, it’s so common.

“If you’re allergic to it, it’s tough to stay away from it,” said Joseph F. Fowler Jr., MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Louisville (Ky.) in a presentation about contact dermatitis at the annual Coastal Dermatology Symposium.

Indeed, the synthetic compound PG is found in skin care products and cosmetics, coated pills, topical medications such as corticosteroids, foods (including bread, food coloring, and such flavorings as vanilla extracts). “It’s in every topical acne product I know of,” and is even in brake fluid and so-called nontoxic antifreeze, he said. (Propylene glycol shouldn’t be confused with the poisonous toxin ethylene glycol, which also is found in antifreeze.)

Patients can be tested for allergy to PG, Dr. Fowler pointed out, but it’s important to understand that it can trigger an irritation reaction that can be mistaken for an allergic reaction.

Dr. Fowler offered the following tips related to contact dermatitis and allergens. Be aware that metals, topical antibiotics, fragrances, and preservatives are most likely to cause allergic contact dermatitis. According to 2016 figures on allergen prevalence from the North American Contact Dermatitis Group (NACDG), allergy to the metal nickel is the most common (16%); followed by neomycin (9%); fragrance mix I, a mixture of fragrances used in allergen testing (9%); bacitracin (8%); and myroxylon, also known as balsam of Peru, which is used for a variety of purposes in food, medicines, and fragrances (7%).

These are followed by the metal cobalt (6%); the preservatives quaternium 15 and formaldehyde (both 6%); para-phenylenediamine, also known as PPD, which is used in hair dye (5%); and the fragrance mix II (5%), another mix of fragrances used in allergen testing.

Dr. Fowler cautioned that nickel can trigger an intense body-wide allergic reaction in children with atopic dermatitis. “In this situation, it’s really good to be compulsive and tell parents to absolutely keep that person away from nickel as much as humanly possible,” he said.

Keep an eye out for allergens that aren’t on the NACDG list, which includes 70 items. According to Dr. Fowler, more than 20% of his patients were positive to allergens not on the NACDG list.

Contact dermatitis is as common in children as in adults and can even be more common in children. An Italian study published in 2012 found that 70% of children aged 1-15 years tested via patch test were allergic to at least one allergen, a number that’s similar in adults (Dermatitis. 2012 Nov-Dec;23[6]:275-80). There are wide disparities in reported levels of children who are allergic to nickel, cobalt, and myroxylon, Dr. Fowler said.

The T.R.U.E. Test patch test system has value, compared with standard patch tests, but beware of its limitations, he advised. T.R.U.E. is easy to use and requires no prep time, he said, but the number of allergens is limited. By contrast, his clinic mostly uses the Finn Chambers on Scanpor tape system, which can test for many more allergens and is cheaper if used at least 5-10 times a month.

He cautioned that T.R.U.E. could miss the cause of contact dermatitis as often as 39% of the time, as demonstrated in one study of children undergoing patch testing (Arch Dermatol. 2008 Oct;144[10]:1329-36). However, he said, the T.R.U.E test has value in detecting allergies to nickel, methylchloroisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (MCI/MI), and neomycin (J Am Acad Dermatol. 2001 Dec;45[6]:836-9).

Consider patch testing in a child with eczema if the eczema is not in normal atopic areas, it spreads beyond normal areas, it doesn’t respond to usual treatments, or it begins later than 5 years of age.

And, Dr. Fowler added, it’s fine to perform patch testing on patients who are taking antihistamines, tumor necrosis factor–alpha inhibitors, NSAIDs, or methotrexate.

Dr. Fowler disclosed consulting for IntraDerm, serving on speakers bureaus for SmartPractice and Regeneron/Sanofi, and serving as an investigator for companies that include AbbVie, Allergan, Bayer, Dow, Galderma, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck, Regeneron, SmartPractice, and Valeant (now Bausch).

The meeting was jointly presented by the University of Louisville and Global Academy for Medical Education. This publication and Global Academy for Medical Education are both owned by Frontline Medical Communications.

 

LAS VEGAS – Be prepared to prescribe pain medications off label. Understand that some of these drugs are double- or even triple-action, although the three-in-ones aren’t necessarily the best option. And beware of prescribing both opioid painkillers and benzodiazepines over the long term.

Xavier Jimenez, MD, a psychiatrist and chronic pain specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, offered these pearls about pain management at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

Here’s a closer look at his tips:

• “Avoid chronic opioid therapy for the most part because of the preponderance of negative effects,” Dr. Jimenez said. “You should also try as best as possible to avoid chronic benzodiazepine therapy, which hasn’t gotten as much media attention but has been linked to all sorts of negative outcomes.”

As he described it, a 2010 study (Pain Med. 2010 Jun;11[6]:805-14) revealed that “benzodiazepines predict opioid use better than pain itself. One thing you can do [to help patients] is start to remove the benzodiazepines.”

Are benzodiazepines even useful for rheumatic conditions? A 2012 Cochrane review of the use of diazepam and triazolam found that they “do not appear to be beneficial in improving pain over 24 hours or 1 week” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jan 18;1:CD008922. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008922.pub2).

• When it comes to choosing medications for pain, “there isn’t really a good textbook algorithm. You’ll have to be creative,” he said. “There are a lot of off-label uses going on here. It’s the norm, not the exception.”

• Some painkillers can have antidepressant, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) or analgesic effects, and a few like duloxetine (Cymbalta) have “double” or “triple action,” Dr. Jimenez said. Some doctors may be tempted to immediately go for something like duloxetine, but he questioned whether “it’s really that simple.”

“That’s done and is effective for a large proportion of these patients, but not everyone. You will have a lot of patients who’ve tried these and not benefited.”

Is Cymbalta appropriate for rheumatic disease? It may be, at least for chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis: A 2013 review found that three studies supported its pain-relieving properties relative to placebo at about 4 weeks (Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013 Dec;5[6]:291-304).

• Consider treating unresolved anxiety, which Dr. Jimenez said he sees more often in moderate and refractory chronic pain. “No one’s asking you to become psychiatrists,” he said, “but I imagine you are asked to act as psychiatrists.”

Researchers continue to explore connections between anxiety and rheumatic disease. A 2016 study of 56 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over 1 year found that “inflated [28-joint Disease Activity Score] despite well controlled inflammatory disease markers may indicate significant psychological morbidity and related non-inflammatory pain, rather than true disease activity” (BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016;17:155).

• Among the many painkiller options are: Gabapentin (“widely used, relatively safe”), pregabalin (keep an eye on kidney values) and topiramate/Topamax (“a pretty decent medication if you’ve got someone who’s not too depressed,” but watch out for the brain-dulling effect that’s spawned a nickname for the drug: “Dopamax”).

• Cannabinoids aren’t ready for prime time as a pain treatment. “Generally, the message here is ‘not yet,’ ” Dr. Jimenez said. “We don’t have enough compelling evidence to suggest cannabinoids are effective, uniformly or across rheumatic diseases. We know much more about the deficits than the benefits.”

What about rheumatic disease and cannabinoids specifically? A 2018 review of research said “preliminary clinical trials have explored the effects of cannabis on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia; preliminary evidence has also found an association between the cannabinoid system and other rheumatic conditions, including systemic sclerosis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.”

However, the report says, evidence so far is insufficient to recommend cannabis in rheumatic disease (Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018;14:488-98).

For now, Dr. Jimenez advised: “Sit tight and wait.”

Dr. Jimenez reported no relevant disclosures. Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – Be prepared to prescribe pain medications off label. Understand that some of these drugs are double- or even triple-action, although the three-in-ones aren’t necessarily the best option. And beware of prescribing both opioid painkillers and benzodiazepines over the long term.

Xavier Jimenez, MD, a psychiatrist and chronic pain specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, offered these pearls about pain management at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

Here’s a closer look at his tips:

• “Avoid chronic opioid therapy for the most part because of the preponderance of negative effects,” Dr. Jimenez said. “You should also try as best as possible to avoid chronic benzodiazepine therapy, which hasn’t gotten as much media attention but has been linked to all sorts of negative outcomes.”

As he described it, a 2010 study (Pain Med. 2010 Jun;11[6]:805-14) revealed that “benzodiazepines predict opioid use better than pain itself. One thing you can do [to help patients] is start to remove the benzodiazepines.”

Are benzodiazepines even useful for rheumatic conditions? A 2012 Cochrane review of the use of diazepam and triazolam found that they “do not appear to be beneficial in improving pain over 24 hours or 1 week” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jan 18;1:CD008922. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008922.pub2).

• When it comes to choosing medications for pain, “there isn’t really a good textbook algorithm. You’ll have to be creative,” he said. “There are a lot of off-label uses going on here. It’s the norm, not the exception.”

• Some painkillers can have antidepressant, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) or analgesic effects, and a few like duloxetine (Cymbalta) have “double” or “triple action,” Dr. Jimenez said. Some doctors may be tempted to immediately go for something like duloxetine, but he questioned whether “it’s really that simple.”

“That’s done and is effective for a large proportion of these patients, but not everyone. You will have a lot of patients who’ve tried these and not benefited.”

Is Cymbalta appropriate for rheumatic disease? It may be, at least for chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis: A 2013 review found that three studies supported its pain-relieving properties relative to placebo at about 4 weeks (Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013 Dec;5[6]:291-304).

• Consider treating unresolved anxiety, which Dr. Jimenez said he sees more often in moderate and refractory chronic pain. “No one’s asking you to become psychiatrists,” he said, “but I imagine you are asked to act as psychiatrists.”

Researchers continue to explore connections between anxiety and rheumatic disease. A 2016 study of 56 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over 1 year found that “inflated [28-joint Disease Activity Score] despite well controlled inflammatory disease markers may indicate significant psychological morbidity and related non-inflammatory pain, rather than true disease activity” (BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016;17:155).

• Among the many painkiller options are: Gabapentin (“widely used, relatively safe”), pregabalin (keep an eye on kidney values) and topiramate/Topamax (“a pretty decent medication if you’ve got someone who’s not too depressed,” but watch out for the brain-dulling effect that’s spawned a nickname for the drug: “Dopamax”).

• Cannabinoids aren’t ready for prime time as a pain treatment. “Generally, the message here is ‘not yet,’ ” Dr. Jimenez said. “We don’t have enough compelling evidence to suggest cannabinoids are effective, uniformly or across rheumatic diseases. We know much more about the deficits than the benefits.”

What about rheumatic disease and cannabinoids specifically? A 2018 review of research said “preliminary clinical trials have explored the effects of cannabis on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia; preliminary evidence has also found an association between the cannabinoid system and other rheumatic conditions, including systemic sclerosis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.”

However, the report says, evidence so far is insufficient to recommend cannabis in rheumatic disease (Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018;14:488-98).

For now, Dr. Jimenez advised: “Sit tight and wait.”

Dr. Jimenez reported no relevant disclosures. Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – Be prepared to prescribe pain medications off label. Understand that some of these drugs are double- or even triple-action, although the three-in-ones aren’t necessarily the best option. And beware of prescribing both opioid painkillers and benzodiazepines over the long term.

Xavier Jimenez, MD, a psychiatrist and chronic pain specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, offered these pearls about pain management at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

Here’s a closer look at his tips:

• “Avoid chronic opioid therapy for the most part because of the preponderance of negative effects,” Dr. Jimenez said. “You should also try as best as possible to avoid chronic benzodiazepine therapy, which hasn’t gotten as much media attention but has been linked to all sorts of negative outcomes.”

As he described it, a 2010 study (Pain Med. 2010 Jun;11[6]:805-14) revealed that “benzodiazepines predict opioid use better than pain itself. One thing you can do [to help patients] is start to remove the benzodiazepines.”

Are benzodiazepines even useful for rheumatic conditions? A 2012 Cochrane review of the use of diazepam and triazolam found that they “do not appear to be beneficial in improving pain over 24 hours or 1 week” (Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jan 18;1:CD008922. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD008922.pub2).

• When it comes to choosing medications for pain, “there isn’t really a good textbook algorithm. You’ll have to be creative,” he said. “There are a lot of off-label uses going on here. It’s the norm, not the exception.”

• Some painkillers can have antidepressant, anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) or analgesic effects, and a few like duloxetine (Cymbalta) have “double” or “triple action,” Dr. Jimenez said. Some doctors may be tempted to immediately go for something like duloxetine, but he questioned whether “it’s really that simple.”

“That’s done and is effective for a large proportion of these patients, but not everyone. You will have a lot of patients who’ve tried these and not benefited.”

Is Cymbalta appropriate for rheumatic disease? It may be, at least for chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis: A 2013 review found that three studies supported its pain-relieving properties relative to placebo at about 4 weeks (Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2013 Dec;5[6]:291-304).

• Consider treating unresolved anxiety, which Dr. Jimenez said he sees more often in moderate and refractory chronic pain. “No one’s asking you to become psychiatrists,” he said, “but I imagine you are asked to act as psychiatrists.”

Researchers continue to explore connections between anxiety and rheumatic disease. A 2016 study of 56 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over 1 year found that “inflated [28-joint Disease Activity Score] despite well controlled inflammatory disease markers may indicate significant psychological morbidity and related non-inflammatory pain, rather than true disease activity” (BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016;17:155).

• Among the many painkiller options are: Gabapentin (“widely used, relatively safe”), pregabalin (keep an eye on kidney values) and topiramate/Topamax (“a pretty decent medication if you’ve got someone who’s not too depressed,” but watch out for the brain-dulling effect that’s spawned a nickname for the drug: “Dopamax”).

• Cannabinoids aren’t ready for prime time as a pain treatment. “Generally, the message here is ‘not yet,’ ” Dr. Jimenez said. “We don’t have enough compelling evidence to suggest cannabinoids are effective, uniformly or across rheumatic diseases. We know much more about the deficits than the benefits.”

What about rheumatic disease and cannabinoids specifically? A 2018 review of research said “preliminary clinical trials have explored the effects of cannabis on rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia; preliminary evidence has also found an association between the cannabinoid system and other rheumatic conditions, including systemic sclerosis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.”

However, the report says, evidence so far is insufficient to recommend cannabis in rheumatic disease (Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2018;14:488-98).

For now, Dr. Jimenez advised: “Sit tight and wait.”

Dr. Jimenez reported no relevant disclosures. Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – The purpose of patient-reported outcome data is to help physicians understand how patients are faring so they can make better clinical decisions. But commonly used assessments in rheumatoid arthritis aren’t doing their job, rheumatologist Clifton O. Bingham III, MD, said at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases.

“We’re really missing the boat in terms of all these things that are important to our patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” said Dr. Bingham of Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, Baltimore. For example, multiple instruments used in RA ignore important topics such as pain assessment, fatigue, and physical function, he explained at the conference, held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

There’s good news, however. “Can we come up with something that can overcome these barriers?” he asked. “Yes we can.”

First, Dr. Bingham described the weaknesses of patient questionnaires. “Just because an instrument has been used before, like the SF-36, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is measuring what it’s supposed to be measuring or that the information it gathers is important,” he said.

Even instruments that ask about issues important to RA patients can fail to produce a full picture. As Dr. Bingham noted, the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MD-HAQ) and Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI) instruments do ask about joint stiffness, but they’re only interested in whether patients felt stiff in the morning and how long the stiffness lasted.

In fact, Dr. Bingham said, a 2013 study found that 23% of 288 patients with RA reported having stiffness only in the morning; most had it all day and night or in the morning and evening (Young KO, et al. ACR 2013, Abstract 2273).

Dr. Bingham listed other problems with patient-reported outcome instruments, such as a question on the MD-HAQ about “fatigue or tiredness.” He said patients actually distinguish between the two: “Patients say they’re tired when they don’t get a good night’s sleep, but that’s not the same as fatigue from RA.”

Is there a better way? Dr. Bingham has explored this issue while serving on the executive committee of Outcome Measures in Rheumatology, an international group supported by drugmakers and other entities. (The funding is arms-length, and he is not compensated.)

Dr. Bingham supports the use of the recently developed Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS), which was established by the National Institutes of Health.

“It lets us see how our patients are doing in their real lives and gives us information about their disease in terms of their activity,” Dr. Bingham said.

He pointed to the upcoming results of a survey of patients with RA that found a wide majority of patients believed many questions on the PROMIS-29 and PROMIS short form questionnaires – regarding pain interference, fatigue and physical function – to be sufficient. However, they did want to see more questions about physical function.

A survey of doctors also revealed that PROMIS results often led them to identify new symptoms or comorbidities, and they frequently took action as a result. In some cases, the results spurred adjustments to RA treatment or medication.

“These measures have the right stuff,” Dr. Bingham said.

He suggested exploring the use of PROMIS-29 in conjunction with other assessments as needed.

“You can administer the questionnaires on tablet computers,” said Dr. Bingham, who added that styluses with built-up handles can be useful for patients with RA when they respond to the questions.

“The information comes straight into your medical record,” he said, “and it can be shown to you and your patient at the same time.”

For more about PROMIS, visit healthmeasures.net.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – The purpose of patient-reported outcome data is to help physicians understand how patients are faring so they can make better clinical decisions. But commonly used assessments in rheumatoid arthritis aren’t doing their job, rheumatologist Clifton O. Bingham III, MD, said at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases.

“We’re really missing the boat in terms of all these things that are important to our patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” said Dr. Bingham of Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, Baltimore. For example, multiple instruments used in RA ignore important topics such as pain assessment, fatigue, and physical function, he explained at the conference, held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

There’s good news, however. “Can we come up with something that can overcome these barriers?” he asked. “Yes we can.”

First, Dr. Bingham described the weaknesses of patient questionnaires. “Just because an instrument has been used before, like the SF-36, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is measuring what it’s supposed to be measuring or that the information it gathers is important,” he said.

Even instruments that ask about issues important to RA patients can fail to produce a full picture. As Dr. Bingham noted, the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MD-HAQ) and Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI) instruments do ask about joint stiffness, but they’re only interested in whether patients felt stiff in the morning and how long the stiffness lasted.

In fact, Dr. Bingham said, a 2013 study found that 23% of 288 patients with RA reported having stiffness only in the morning; most had it all day and night or in the morning and evening (Young KO, et al. ACR 2013, Abstract 2273).

Dr. Bingham listed other problems with patient-reported outcome instruments, such as a question on the MD-HAQ about “fatigue or tiredness.” He said patients actually distinguish between the two: “Patients say they’re tired when they don’t get a good night’s sleep, but that’s not the same as fatigue from RA.”

Is there a better way? Dr. Bingham has explored this issue while serving on the executive committee of Outcome Measures in Rheumatology, an international group supported by drugmakers and other entities. (The funding is arms-length, and he is not compensated.)

Dr. Bingham supports the use of the recently developed Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS), which was established by the National Institutes of Health.

“It lets us see how our patients are doing in their real lives and gives us information about their disease in terms of their activity,” Dr. Bingham said.

He pointed to the upcoming results of a survey of patients with RA that found a wide majority of patients believed many questions on the PROMIS-29 and PROMIS short form questionnaires – regarding pain interference, fatigue and physical function – to be sufficient. However, they did want to see more questions about physical function.

A survey of doctors also revealed that PROMIS results often led them to identify new symptoms or comorbidities, and they frequently took action as a result. In some cases, the results spurred adjustments to RA treatment or medication.

“These measures have the right stuff,” Dr. Bingham said.

He suggested exploring the use of PROMIS-29 in conjunction with other assessments as needed.

“You can administer the questionnaires on tablet computers,” said Dr. Bingham, who added that styluses with built-up handles can be useful for patients with RA when they respond to the questions.

“The information comes straight into your medical record,” he said, “and it can be shown to you and your patient at the same time.”

For more about PROMIS, visit healthmeasures.net.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – The purpose of patient-reported outcome data is to help physicians understand how patients are faring so they can make better clinical decisions. But commonly used assessments in rheumatoid arthritis aren’t doing their job, rheumatologist Clifton O. Bingham III, MD, said at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases.

“We’re really missing the boat in terms of all these things that are important to our patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” said Dr. Bingham of Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, Baltimore. For example, multiple instruments used in RA ignore important topics such as pain assessment, fatigue, and physical function, he explained at the conference, held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

There’s good news, however. “Can we come up with something that can overcome these barriers?” he asked. “Yes we can.”

First, Dr. Bingham described the weaknesses of patient questionnaires. “Just because an instrument has been used before, like the SF-36, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is measuring what it’s supposed to be measuring or that the information it gathers is important,” he said.

Even instruments that ask about issues important to RA patients can fail to produce a full picture. As Dr. Bingham noted, the Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MD-HAQ) and Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity Index (RADAI) instruments do ask about joint stiffness, but they’re only interested in whether patients felt stiff in the morning and how long the stiffness lasted.

In fact, Dr. Bingham said, a 2013 study found that 23% of 288 patients with RA reported having stiffness only in the morning; most had it all day and night or in the morning and evening (Young KO, et al. ACR 2013, Abstract 2273).

Dr. Bingham listed other problems with patient-reported outcome instruments, such as a question on the MD-HAQ about “fatigue or tiredness.” He said patients actually distinguish between the two: “Patients say they’re tired when they don’t get a good night’s sleep, but that’s not the same as fatigue from RA.”

Is there a better way? Dr. Bingham has explored this issue while serving on the executive committee of Outcome Measures in Rheumatology, an international group supported by drugmakers and other entities. (The funding is arms-length, and he is not compensated.)

Dr. Bingham supports the use of the recently developed Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS), which was established by the National Institutes of Health.

“It lets us see how our patients are doing in their real lives and gives us information about their disease in terms of their activity,” Dr. Bingham said.

He pointed to the upcoming results of a survey of patients with RA that found a wide majority of patients believed many questions on the PROMIS-29 and PROMIS short form questionnaires – regarding pain interference, fatigue and physical function – to be sufficient. However, they did want to see more questions about physical function.

A survey of doctors also revealed that PROMIS results often led them to identify new symptoms or comorbidities, and they frequently took action as a result. In some cases, the results spurred adjustments to RA treatment or medication.

“These measures have the right stuff,” Dr. Bingham said.

He suggested exploring the use of PROMIS-29 in conjunction with other assessments as needed.

“You can administer the questionnaires on tablet computers,” said Dr. Bingham, who added that styluses with built-up handles can be useful for patients with RA when they respond to the questions.

“The information comes straight into your medical record,” he said, “and it can be shown to you and your patient at the same time.”

For more about PROMIS, visit healthmeasures.net.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Joseph A. Murray, MD, has a message for rheumatologists: You might think you know celiac disease, which often mimics rheumatic disorders, but there’s a good chance you don’t.

For one, researchers have discovered only in the past few years that many people with celiac disease (CD) don’t spend their days on the toilet. “It’s really come into the fore in the past 5 years that it can present totally without any GI symptoms,” Dr. Murray said in an interview following his presentation at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

For another, he said, CD “is much more common than we thought,” affecting 1% of whites.

This is all relevant to rheumatologists, Dr. Murray said, because celiac disease can cause rheumatic symptoms and is more likely to affect patients with certain rheumatic conditions.

In the big picture, he said during his presentation, researchers now understand that most people with CD do not suffer from diarrhea, the classic symptom associated with the disorder. A 2014 Italian study of 770 patients with CD found that just one-third had diarrhea (BMC Gastroenterol. 2014;14:194).

Instead of GI symptoms – or in addition to them – CD can cause numerous symptoms that may land patients in a rheumatologist’s office. According to Dr. Murray, these include joint pain (often without joint destruction), peripheral neuropathy, general aches and pains, and chronic fatigue.

“You could have a patient presenting with nondestructive joint problems and general fatigue who has celiac disease as a cause,” he said.

Or patients could have both CD and a rheumatic condition. Patients with lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, for example, are at higher risk of CD, Dr. Murray said.

In addition, he said, “I will often see overlap between celiac disease and rheumatic arthritis.”

What should you do if you suspect a patient has CD? Dr. Murray suggests referring the patient to a gastroenterologist, although he cautioned physicians to keep in mind that a patient with the condition may not be able to adequately absorb oral medications.

He said it’s crucial to not direct the patient to begin a gluten-free diet. The main way to test a patient for CD is through serology prior to a gluten-free diet, he said.

There’s another hitch regarding a gluten-free diet. As he explained in his presentation, it’s often difficult to convince someone who’s already gone on a gluten-free diet to go off it so they can be challenged with gluten for weeks. In these cases, he said, patients may be afraid of the return of symptoms.

As for treatment, Dr. Murray said “patients can be dramatically improved by a gluten-free diet,” although it’s often difficult for them to tolerate. “Often they’re unhappy,” he said in his presentation. “It’s not an easy diet.”

He noted that patients may go gluten free even if it’s not clear they have to. “If the diet is nutritionally adequate,” he said, “I don’t argue with success.”

Dr. Murray disclosed consulting for various drug makers, receiving royalties from Torax, and receiving grant/contracted research support from drug makers, the Broad Medical Research Program at Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and Oberkotter Foundation.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Joseph A. Murray, MD, has a message for rheumatologists: You might think you know celiac disease, which often mimics rheumatic disorders, but there’s a good chance you don’t.

For one, researchers have discovered only in the past few years that many people with celiac disease (CD) don’t spend their days on the toilet. “It’s really come into the fore in the past 5 years that it can present totally without any GI symptoms,” Dr. Murray said in an interview following his presentation at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

For another, he said, CD “is much more common than we thought,” affecting 1% of whites.

This is all relevant to rheumatologists, Dr. Murray said, because celiac disease can cause rheumatic symptoms and is more likely to affect patients with certain rheumatic conditions.

In the big picture, he said during his presentation, researchers now understand that most people with CD do not suffer from diarrhea, the classic symptom associated with the disorder. A 2014 Italian study of 770 patients with CD found that just one-third had diarrhea (BMC Gastroenterol. 2014;14:194).

Instead of GI symptoms – or in addition to them – CD can cause numerous symptoms that may land patients in a rheumatologist’s office. According to Dr. Murray, these include joint pain (often without joint destruction), peripheral neuropathy, general aches and pains, and chronic fatigue.

“You could have a patient presenting with nondestructive joint problems and general fatigue who has celiac disease as a cause,” he said.

Or patients could have both CD and a rheumatic condition. Patients with lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, for example, are at higher risk of CD, Dr. Murray said.

In addition, he said, “I will often see overlap between celiac disease and rheumatic arthritis.”

What should you do if you suspect a patient has CD? Dr. Murray suggests referring the patient to a gastroenterologist, although he cautioned physicians to keep in mind that a patient with the condition may not be able to adequately absorb oral medications.

He said it’s crucial to not direct the patient to begin a gluten-free diet. The main way to test a patient for CD is through serology prior to a gluten-free diet, he said.

There’s another hitch regarding a gluten-free diet. As he explained in his presentation, it’s often difficult to convince someone who’s already gone on a gluten-free diet to go off it so they can be challenged with gluten for weeks. In these cases, he said, patients may be afraid of the return of symptoms.

As for treatment, Dr. Murray said “patients can be dramatically improved by a gluten-free diet,” although it’s often difficult for them to tolerate. “Often they’re unhappy,” he said in his presentation. “It’s not an easy diet.”

He noted that patients may go gluten free even if it’s not clear they have to. “If the diet is nutritionally adequate,” he said, “I don’t argue with success.”

Dr. Murray disclosed consulting for various drug makers, receiving royalties from Torax, and receiving grant/contracted research support from drug makers, the Broad Medical Research Program at Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and Oberkotter Foundation.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.

LAS VEGAS – Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Joseph A. Murray, MD, has a message for rheumatologists: You might think you know celiac disease, which often mimics rheumatic disorders, but there’s a good chance you don’t.

For one, researchers have discovered only in the past few years that many people with celiac disease (CD) don’t spend their days on the toilet. “It’s really come into the fore in the past 5 years that it can present totally without any GI symptoms,” Dr. Murray said in an interview following his presentation at the annual Perspectives in Rheumatic Diseases held by Global Academy for Medical Education.

For another, he said, CD “is much more common than we thought,” affecting 1% of whites.

This is all relevant to rheumatologists, Dr. Murray said, because celiac disease can cause rheumatic symptoms and is more likely to affect patients with certain rheumatic conditions.

In the big picture, he said during his presentation, researchers now understand that most people with CD do not suffer from diarrhea, the classic symptom associated with the disorder. A 2014 Italian study of 770 patients with CD found that just one-third had diarrhea (BMC Gastroenterol. 2014;14:194).

Instead of GI symptoms – or in addition to them – CD can cause numerous symptoms that may land patients in a rheumatologist’s office. According to Dr. Murray, these include joint pain (often without joint destruction), peripheral neuropathy, general aches and pains, and chronic fatigue.

“You could have a patient presenting with nondestructive joint problems and general fatigue who has celiac disease as a cause,” he said.

Or patients could have both CD and a rheumatic condition. Patients with lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, for example, are at higher risk of CD, Dr. Murray said.

In addition, he said, “I will often see overlap between celiac disease and rheumatic arthritis.”

What should you do if you suspect a patient has CD? Dr. Murray suggests referring the patient to a gastroenterologist, although he cautioned physicians to keep in mind that a patient with the condition may not be able to adequately absorb oral medications.

He said it’s crucial to not direct the patient to begin a gluten-free diet. The main way to test a patient for CD is through serology prior to a gluten-free diet, he said.

There’s another hitch regarding a gluten-free diet. As he explained in his presentation, it’s often difficult to convince someone who’s already gone on a gluten-free diet to go off it so they can be challenged with gluten for weeks. In these cases, he said, patients may be afraid of the return of symptoms.

As for treatment, Dr. Murray said “patients can be dramatically improved by a gluten-free diet,” although it’s often difficult for them to tolerate. “Often they’re unhappy,” he said in his presentation. “It’s not an easy diet.”

He noted that patients may go gluten free even if it’s not clear they have to. “If the diet is nutritionally adequate,” he said, “I don’t argue with success.”

Dr. Murray disclosed consulting for various drug makers, receiving royalties from Torax, and receiving grant/contracted research support from drug makers, the Broad Medical Research Program at Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, and Oberkotter Foundation.

Global Academy for Medical Education and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.