title: Prevention of rheumatic diseases: strategies, caveats, and future directions.
abstract: Rheumatic diseases affect a significant portion of the population and lead to increased health care costs, disability, and premature mortality; effective preventive measures for these diseases could lead to substantial improvements in public health. Natural history studies show that for most rheumatic diseases there is a period of preclinical disease development during which abnormal biomarkers or other processes can be detected. These changes are useful to understand mechanisms of disease pathogenesis; in addition, they may be applied to estimate a personal risk of future disease while individuals are still relatively asymptomatic and ultimately be used to identify individuals who may be targeted for preventive interventions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Geneva, Rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil 4, Genève 1205, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Finckh
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12605 East 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. Electronic address: kevin.deane@ucdenver.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Deane
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D061345:Early Medical Intervention / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D055502:Secondary Prevention / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D055512:Tertiary Prevention / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents
keywords: Prediction; Prevention; Rheumatic diseases