Review Article

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a global perspective on the use of antirheumatic drugs

Authors

Tuulikki Sokka^1,2, Minja Envalds³ and Theodore Pincus⁴

1. Arkisto/Tutkijat, Jyvaskyla Central Hospital, 40620 Jyvaskyla, Finland
2. Medcare Oy, Aanekoski, Finland
3. Kuopio University Medical School, Kuopio, Finland
4. New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, NY, USA

Received:

11 December 2007

Accepted:

29 January 2008

Published online:

25 April 2008

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Abstract

Modern therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is based on knowledge of the severity of the natural history of the disease. RA patients are approached with early and aggressive treatment strategies, methotrexate as an anchor drug, biological targeted therapies in those with inadequate response to methotrexate, and “tight control,” aiming for remission and low disease activity according to quantitative monitoring. This chapter presents a rationale for current treatment strategies for RA with antirheumatic drugs, a review of published reports concerning treatments in clinical cohorts outside of clinical trials, and current treatments at 61 sites in 21 countries in the QUEST-RA database.

Key words

Rheumatoid arthritis - DMARDs - Methotrexate