Introduction – Microorganisms and the locomotor system
An impressive number of microorganisms live inside and on healthy humans. The normal gastrointestinal tract alone contains 10 14 bacteria, which is 100 times the number of cells in the…
Economic consequences and potential benefits
Abstract Patients with established rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may incur important resource utilisation and work productivity loss, resulting in high costs of illness. Impairment in physical function, which increases with disease…
Anti-TNF therapy
There are now five anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) drugs licenced for use in rheumatoid arthritis. This chapter examines the similarities and differences between the drugs and looks for clues with…
Quality of life and the outcome of established rheumatoid arthritis
Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term condition causing joint pain and swelling and sometimes systemic involvement. The aims of treatment are, first, to reduce the impact the disease has…
Imaging in rheumatoid arthritis
The optimal management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) requires tools that allow early and accurate disease diagnosis, prediction of poor prognosis and responsive monitoring of therapeutic outcomes. Conventional radiography has been…
The use of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in established RA
Conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are the main tool to treat any form of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Over the years, treatment strategies and use of DMARDs have changed. ‘Tight control’…
B-cell therapies in established rheumatoid arthritis
B-cell depletion therapy based on rituximab is effective and relatively safe in established rheumatoid arthritis. Rituximab is licensed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in combination with methotrexate and in…
Established rheumatoid arthritis: Rationale for best practice – Physicians’ perspective of how to realise tight control in clinical practice
Abstract Developments in the understanding of the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the introduction of targeted biologic therapies have greatly advanced the management of RA in clinical practice. The…
Assessment of control of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity
As very effective targeted biological therapies have become available to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA), remission is now the goal of treatment. Since 1981, efforts have been undertaken to develop criteria…
What is the outcome of RA in 2011 and can we predict it?
There are secular trends in improvement in disease activity and X-ray damage at baseline and cross-sectionally in prevalent cases of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in recent years. These changes should translate…
