The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has significantly improved in recent years with the combinations of medications and the development of new anti-arthritis drugs proving successful in the management of symptoms.
This is according to guidelines issued by the American College of Rheumatology and co-authored by physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).
Lead author Dr Kenneth Saag, professor in the UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, said: "The recommendations developed are not intended to be used in a ‘cookbook’ or prescriptive manner, or to limit a physician’s clinical judgment. They provide guidance based on clinical evidence and expert panel input."
The revised guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis will replace those previously published in 2002.
According to the American College of Rheumatology, the new recommendations address several classes of anti-arthritic medications including disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Newer genetically engineered variations of DMARDs can help in conjunction with earlier therapies, but drugs such as adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel) and infliximab (Remicade) can prevent inflammation before it starts.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1.3 million Americans, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
