title: Management of rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: The past few years have witnessed a major change in the approach to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The present focus is on early recognition and prompt treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs of which methotrexate continues to be the drug of choice. Leflunomide is an important recent addition to the list of available drugs. The use of combinations of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs is gaining wide acceptance. A better understanding of the pathobiology of rheumatoid arthritis has led to the development of targeted therapies such as tumour necrosis factor blockers. There are robust data to show the clinical utility of tumour necrosis factor blockers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Service, Department of Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India. rohinihanda@hotmail.com
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Handa
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha