More than 6 million Canadians suffer from arthritis; more than half of them are under the age of 65. Health reporter Pauline Chan of CTV interviews Dr. Jessica Widdifield to learn about what it is like to live with arthritis (simulation of arthritis in a bodysuit) and to gain insight on access to care, discussing the lack of medical specialists to provide treatment to patients with arthritis.

Lupus patients were more than 2.5 times as likely as the general population to develop blood cancers, based on data from 13,492 adults with lupus, explains Dr. Sasha Bernatsky.

Video with Dr. Diane Lacaille, Rheumatologist at the University of British Columbia and Research Scientist at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada.

Dr. Diane Lacaille, MD, MHSc
Who is at risk for heart disease and why?

Dr. Antonio Avina, MD, PhD
How arthritis causes heart attacks, strokes and blood clots

Biologics use by rheumatoid arthritis patients was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of premature death, compared to patients without exposure to biologics, based on data from a population-based study of more than 4,000 patients. Dr. Diane Lacaille of the Arthritis Research Center of Canada discusses the results at the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting.

Cancer risk in lupus is an important topic and these links are an increasing focus in the medical and research community. Many individuals with lupus are concerned about the risk of cancer due to the disease itself or after being treated for many years with immunosuppressive drugs such as Imuran or CellCept. This month, Dr. Sasha Bernatsky answered your questions about lupus and cancer.