| INVITED REVIEW |
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| Year : 2022 | Volume
: 15
| Issue : 1 | Page : 1-4 |
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Rheumatoid arthritis: A challenging inflammatory disease
Johannes Grisar
Rheumatology Unit, Clinic Hera, Vienna, Austria
Correspondence Address:
Johannes Grisar
Rheumatology Unit, Sanatorium Hera, Löblichgasse 14, 1090 Vienna
Austria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/hmj.hmj_22_22
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Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) represents the most common inflammatory joint disease of the western world. The main clinical manifestations of this disease are swelling and tenderness of the joints, mainly in the fingers accompanied by morning stiffness. Several laboratory parameters, like surrogates of inflammation but also rheumatoid factor (RF) and antibodies against citrullinated peptide (anti-ccP) are helpful for diagnosis as well as imaging tools, mainy X-rays, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: This review will focus on the clinical manifestations and the pathophysiology of RA and highlight the therapeutic options. Results: With regards to efficacious therapies methotrexate (MTX) still represents the anchor drug for initial treatment combined with short term glucocorticoids. If this therapy fails however, several therapeutic options like bDMARDs and Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitors have emerged during the last decades.Following the well established treat to target principle, the goal of a successful therapy is either remission or, if this can not be reached, low disease activity according to composite scores. The disease activity should be controlled in regular intervals. Conclusions: RA is a frequent inflammatory joint disease. The goal of a sufficient therapy is to reach clinical remission and we nowadays have a broad armamentarium available to treat this disease sufficiently in a large population of patients.
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