title: Appropriate and effective management of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Early referral (at <3 months) and early DMARD treatment enable the course of RA to be changed. Once the disease has become aggressive it is much harder to treat and improvements will not be as great as they would have been with earlier treatment. The latest strategies and treatments enable remission to be achieved in many more patients than formerly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands. F.C.Breedveld@lumc.nl
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Breedveld
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kalden
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; C556706:CTLA4 protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D008727:Methotrexate