New data presented at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, suggests that alcohol may protect against rheumatoid arthritis, with three units a week exhibiting protective effects and ten units a week being more protective still. An alcohol consumption of three units per week or more also reduced the risk by smoking or by a genetic predisposition to RA.

New data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, sheds light on the role of environmental and genetic risk factors in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Two new studies by a team in Sweden have identified smoking, a low formal level of education and certain metabolic indicators as important risk factors in the development of RA.

Treatment with denosumab 60 mg and 180 mg (with background methotrexate) reduces the progression of bone erosion according to results of a 227 patient Phase II trial presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain.

Nearly half (43.9%) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving tocilizumab 8mg/kg, in addition to ongoing methotrexate therapy experienced a 50% (ACR50) improvement in symptoms at 24 weeks and more than one fifth achieved a 70% symptom improvement, according to results of a European study presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain. This study is the first phase III trial of tocilizumab.

Breast feeding for a period of thirteen months or more has been shown to reduce the mother's the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain. In the study, the longer the breast feeding period, the lower the mother's risk of developing RA in later life.

Two years or more of oral steroid treatment decreases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) related lymphoma, according to data presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, in Barcelona, Spain. Furthermore, these effects were found regardless of when in the course of the disease the steroids were first administered. However, these beneficial effects were not observed if the steroids were taken for less than a two year period.

59% of patients receiving certolizumab pegol 200mg plus methotrexate, and 61% of patients receiving certolizumab pegol 400mg plus methotrexate every two weeks achieved a 20% improvement in symptoms (known as an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response) after 24 weeks' treatment, according to a study presented today at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain.

In the first international 'map of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spanning Europe and beyond, significant national differences in RA severity can be directly traced to national economics, most notably health expenditure, as exposed today by data from the QUEST-RA Study presented at EULAR 2007, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, Barcelona, Spain.

The global obesity epidemic was issued with a further health warning- that obesity exacerbates the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). New data presented at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, shows that RA in obese patients is associated with worse quality of life outcomes on four key levels: pain, fatigue, physical function and overall utility scores.

Findings reported at EULAR 2007, the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) in Barcelona, Spain, reveal a treatment disparity between female and male patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Data from a study at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, show that women receive anti-TNFs (very effective but expensive modern medications against this disease) at a higher perceived level of disease activity and when they are reporting more severe pain than their male counterparts.

New data demonstrating the safety and efficacy of Enbrel® (etanercept) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients over the long-term were presented today at the EULAR (European League Against Rheumatism) congress (1). Over 2,000 patients receiving this biologic treatment for up to nine years, saw improvements in disability whilst safety was also sustained over the long-term.

Peter K. Gregersen, MD, stares at x-rays of hands, searching out the telltale signs of inflamed joints and wrists from his research subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. With these clinical features at his side, he turns to the basic building blocks of life - the human genome - to figure out what makes these people susceptible to the disabling inflammatory condition.