December 2025 to March 2026
Author: Ana Rebollo Giménez
EULAR/ACR Risk Stratification Criteria for Development of Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Risk Stage of Arthralgia
Hanna W van Steenbergen et al. investigated data from 10 arthralgia‑at‑risk cohorts (n≈2,300) were pooled to derive EULAR/ACR risk stratification criteria for inflammatory arthritis/RA. A six‑item model (symptom features plus RF/ACPA/CRP) achieved AUC ≈0.80 for 1‑year arthritis; adding MRI‑detected subclinical inflammation improved AUC to 0.87–0.93. The system defines low, intermediate and high‑risk groups, providing a standardized framework to select individuals for preventive trials.
Toward a Treat-to-Target Strategy in Juvenile Dermatomyositis: What Are the Suitable Targets and Optimal Timing of Their Achievement?
MacMahon et al. evaluated the time to treatment response in juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) to inform a treat‑to‑target strategy. Data from 187 patients at two tertiary centers were analyzed over the first two years after diagnosis using Kaplan‑Meier curves. Muscle enzyme normalization occurred at a median of 3 months, muscle remission at 6 months, and skin remission around 12 months. Time to inactive disease differed between centers (median 10.3 months at Gaslini, 8.8 months at SickKids). The study provides real‑world timelines for target attainment that can guide treat‑to‑target decision‑making in JDM.
Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab in Participants with Active Psoriatic Arthritis After Inadequate Response to One Prior Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor
Ogdie et al. conducted the phase 3b SOLSTICE trial in 451 patients with active PsA and inadequate response to one TNF inhibitor, showing that guselkumab every 4 or 8 weeks was clearly superior to placebo for ACR20/50/70, PASI90 and minimal disease activity at week 24. Around 59–62% of guselkumab‑treated patients achieved ACR20 versus 35% on placebo, with a safety profile consistent with previous guselkumab experience, reinforcing IL‑23p19 inhibition as a strong post‑TNF option
ACR Guidance Statement for Diagnosis and Management of VEXAS Developed
Mekinian et al. developed by an international multidisciplinary VEXAS expert panel, provides the first consensus framework for diagnosing and managing this UBA1‑mutated, hematoinflammatory syndrome. It summarizes key clinical features, practical approaches to UBA1 testing, how to assess co‑existing myelodysplastic syndromes, and core principles of prognosis and treatment, offering clinicians concrete recommendations on whom to test, how to confirm VEXAS, and how to coordinate ongoing management.
Performance of the Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Events Calculator in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Johnson et al. evaluated PREVENT calculator in 30,687 RA patients and 231,752 controls, capturing 28,061 ASCVD and 13,851 heart‑failure events over >2 million person‑years. In RA, PREVENT markedly underestimated overall CVD (SIR 1.83), ASCVD (SIR 2.25) and HF (SIR 1.41), with modest sensitivity (61.9% for ASCVD; 63.2% for HF) and only a small NRI (5.3%), incorrectly downgrading 626 of 657 ASCVD cases to low/borderline risk. Incorporating HbA1c improved calibration (CVD SIR 1.21; ASCVD SIR 1.45; HF SIR 0.79) and raised ASCVD sensitivity to 80.3%. PREVENT underestimates cardiovascular risk in RA, mirroring the overall underperformance seen with current cardiovascular risk prediction tools in this population.
Ana Isabel Rebollo Giménez
Ana is interested in pediatric rheumatology. She completed a two-year specialized training at a European center of excellence in pediatric rheumatology, the Istituto Giannina Gaslini. She currently works at the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón.
She is particularly focused on research in the fields of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Juvenile Dermatomyositis, and pediatric musculoskeletal ultrasound. She is the coordinator of ERNA-SER (Working Group on Rheumatic Diseases of Children and Adolescents) of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, an active member of EMERGE and part of the EMEUNET Newsletter sub-committee.