title: To screen or not to screen: how to find and identify very early arthritis.
abstract: There is accumulating evidence demonstrating that early treatment leads to better outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis. In order to be treated early, patients thus need to be identified at the earliest possible stage. This means identifying patients with rheumatoid arthritis at their earliest clinical signs but it could also mean screening for healthy individuals at high risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. The different tools available to screen for these individuals are reviewed here and their relevance is discussed.
authors: Rheumatology Department, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Hôpital Notre-Dame, 1560 Sherbrooke Est., Montréal QC H2L 4M1, Canada. Electronic address: ed.villeneuve@gmail.com.
authors: Edith
authors: E
authors: Villeneuve
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Early arthritis; Identification; Preclinical; Rheumatoid arthritis; Screening