arthritis symptoms

Our roundup of health news headlines on Monday 15 November.‘Homeopathy works - but it is talking not tinctures that helps patients’, reports the The Sunday Telegraph. They look at new research which finds the symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis decrease following visit to a homeopathic doctor but ‘it made no difference whether the solution they received was a genuine homeopathic tincture prescribed to treat rheumatism, or a placebo.’Dr Sarah Brien, who led the study said previous research suggested homeopathy could help patients, ‘the study provided the first scientific evidence to show such benefits were “specifically due to its unique consultation process”.’The Independent gives us the worrying news that 'Quarter of cancers discovered late’ Research by the National cancer Intelligence Network found that 23% of cancer cases were detected only as patients underwent emergency treatment.’The statistics showed that ‘pensioners and those under 25 were most likely to be diagnosed with cancer during emergency procedures, while poor people were more likely to suffer from late detection than the rich.’‘Heads of UK's leading public health bodies warn coalition not to water down proposals for ban on tobacco displays in shops’. The Guardian reports that although the previous Labour government pledged to introduce the ban, public health minister Anne Milton has now said it is under review.Health campaigners believe removing the displays would reduce their influence on young people but the tobacco lobby say ‘it will lead to a surge in smuggling and prove costly for small shopkeepers.’‘The reason your diet is doomed before you even start? You carry the greediness gene’, according The Daily Mail ‘millions of Britons’ carry the gene, which apparently boosts appetite. The rogue gene was originally discovered in 1970, but now British researchers have found that the rogue gene called FTO does indeed ‘make us fat.’ Cream cakes all round.Spotted a story we've missed? Let us know and we'll update the digest throughout the day...

rheumatoid arthritis symptoms

In the study, 611 people with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis who had an inadequate response to at least one other drug were randomly assigned to one of two doses of tasocitinib or placebo.

Among the findings:

• A total of 66% of patients who received the higher dose of tasocitinib had at least a 20% improvement in disease activity and symptoms after three months of treatment, compared with 60% of those given the lower dose and 27% of those who received a placebo.
• Scores on a questionnaire that asks about dressing, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip, and activities improved more than twice as much in people taking either dose of tasocitinib, compared with placebo.

But for the third primary study goal, remission according to the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28) at three months, tasocitinib did not offer a substantial advantage at either dosage relative to placebo.

DAS-28 scores take into account such measures as the number of joints tender to the touch and the number of swollen joints. Using this measure, 10% of patients on the higher tasocitinib dosage, 6% on the lower dose, and 4% on placebo were in remission at three months. But the difference in remission rates did not reach what doctors call statistical significance, Fleischmann tells WebMD. He says he received consulting fees and research support from Pfizer, which makes the drug and funded the new study.