Early referral improves long-term outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common, chronic systemic inflammatory disease of unclear aetiology leading to synovial hypertrophy and joint inflammation. It typically presents with symmetrical polyarthritis of small joints of the hands or feet, but can also involve larger joints, and have associated extra-articular manifestations. Diagnosis is based on duration of symptoms, joint distribution, level of inflammatory markers and autoantibodies i.

Refining the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: the Benefits of Subcutaneous Tocilizumab.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic autoimmune condition which affects approximately 1% of the adult population worldwide and is characterized by joint inflammation, with extra-articular features being common. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is one of the chief pro-inflammatory cytokines found in the joints and sera of patients with RA. Increased levels of IL-6 correlate with inflammation, disease activity, and radiological damage.

Extraarticular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis develop in patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor-α treatment: a retrospective chart review from a UK center.

Objective: To assess the evolution of preexisting extraarticular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (EA-RA) in patients treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), as well as the development of new EA-RA.

Methods: We assessed EA-RA in 152 patients receiving anti-TNF-α treatment.

Results: In 22 cases, a new EA-RA developed.

Self-management pivotal in osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is not caused by ageing per se, although prevalence does increase with age, and does not necessarily deteriorate over time. However, with the ageing population the incidence and prevalence of osteoarthritis will continue to rise. Osteoarthritis remains a clinical diagnosis and importantly radiographic changes and joint symptoms may be poorly correlated.

Early recognition improves prognosis in elderly onset RA.

Although commonly diagnosed in the third to fifth decades of life, the incidence and prevalence of RA continue to increase up to the ninth decade. Age at onset is particularly relevant as the presentation may differ in elderly onset RA (EORA) compared with young onset RA (YORA). Patients with EORA frequently report a more acute presentation, especially if positive for rheumatoid factor (RF).

Indispensable or intolerable? Methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis: a retrospective review of discontinuation rates from a large UK cohort.

Methotrexate (MTX) has become the first-line treatment for rheumatoid (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA); however, few studies have focused on its tolerability. The objective of our analyses was to study RA and PsA patients in whom MTX was discontinued, the reasons for this and the duration of MTX treatment prior to withdrawal. A retrospective electronic database review was undertaken to identify all patients who had received MTX for RA or PsA.