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Review
. 2018;27(6):501-507.
doi: 10.1159/000493390. Epub 2018 Sep 2.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Brief Overview of the Treatment

Jacqueline Bullock  1 , Syed A A Rizvi  2 , Ayman M Saleh  3 , Sultan S Ahmed  4 , Duc P Do  5 , Rais A Ansari  4 , Jasmin Ahmed  6
Affiliations
Review

Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Brief Overview of the Treatment

Jacqueline Bullock et al. Med Princ Pract. 2018.

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, systemic autoimmune disease, affecting the joints with varying severity among patients. The risk factors include age, gender, genetics, and environmental exposure (cigarette smoking, air pollutants, and occupational). Many complications can follow, such as permanent joint damage requiring arthroplasty, rheumatoid vasculitis, and Felty syndrome requiring splenectomy if it remains unaddressed. As there is no cure for RA, the treatment goals are to reduce the pain and stop/slow further damage. Here, we present a brief summary of various past and present treatment modalities to address the complications associated with RA.

Keywords: Boutonnière deformity; Rheumatoid arthritis; Swan neck deformity.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A classic example of joint deformities associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Boutonniere deformity is visible in the 5th digit of the right hand, Swan neck deformity in the 5th digit of the left hand, and hallux valgus can be seen in the foot.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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