Aggressive therapy does not substantially alter the long-term course of rheumatoid arthritis. So what else is new?
A consensus has evolved that there is little evidence supporting the view that the second line agents significantly alter long-term outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis. Consequently, changes in approaches to treatment currently being employed include earlier use of existing second line agents, their use in combinations, and greater use of corticosteroids. Our awareness that our current drugs, at best, fall considerably short of attaining the therapeutic results we would like to achieve causes us to look forward to the development of rationally derived biologic agents with considerable anticipation.
Kushner
I
I
Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
Dawson
N V
NV
D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors