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Chronic back pain has a huge impact on health-care systems and governments globally, being responsible for millions of days of lost work and disability. In this Viewpoint, Dr Hadler discusses how improved patient management and workplace policies can help reduce the escalating costs that are associated with this condition.
MRI shows great promise as a scoring system for spinal inflammation in ankylosing spondylitis. This Viewpoint discusses the progress in the development of MRI scoring methods and the prospective use of MRI as a tool to evaluate disease activity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Despite extensive research, the etiopathogenesis of primary Sjögren's syndrome is not well understood. In this article, the hypothesis that activation of the type I interferon system contributes to the disease process is outlined and potential new therapeutic targets from this system for Sjögren's syndrome are discussed.
Paget's disease of bone, which is the second most common metabolic bone disorder and is characterized by focal increases in bone turnover, has a strong genetic component. As discussed in this Review, mutations in four genes have been described that cause Paget's disease of bone or related disorders, and all affect the receptor activator of nuclear factor κB signaling pathway.
The secretory functions of the exocrine glands are impaired in patients with Sjögren's syndrome, resulting in symptoms of dry eyes and dry mouth. This Review discusses the currently available treatments for the glandular and extraglandular manifestations of this chronic autoimmune disorder, and describes potential future therapies.