Treatment strategy for patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the joints, causing joint destruction, functional disability, and reduced quality of life in patients. The aim of RA treatment is to decrease the inflammation, prevent joint damage, and improve patients' quality of life while minimizing progression of the disease. Both early detection and intervention with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have been reported to improve therapeutic outcomes. Treatment with DMARDs should be started immediately after the diagnosis is established, with methotrexate as the best initial drug of choice. Disease activity should be regularly monitored. Targeted therapies can be considered in patients with persistent active disease despite methotrexate therapy. Remission or low disease activity is the preferred treatment target. There are two major classes of DMARDs: conventional synthetic DMARDs and the targeted therapies specific to pro-inflammatory cytokines including biologic DMARDs and small molecule inhibitors. Recently, the importance of shared decision making, in which patients and clinicians make decisions together, and education of the patient has been emphasized in the treatment strategies of RA. This review summarizes the effectiveness and safety of the DMARDs currently available for RA treatment. Recommendations for RA management would also be discussed in this article.