Research has profoundly changed the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the past decade on two fronts.
First, we now understand that the "personality" of RA is that is can damage joints within a few years. This provides a window of opportunity for us to control the disease. So it's important to make the diagnosis early - and for the primary care doctor and rheumatologist to work in partnership to start treatment immediately. Early treatment is particularly important in RA. Second, new and effective medications for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are now available. More are coming to market soon. They have profoundly changed the treatment of RA. The early use of these medications have made a major dent in this disorder and what it does to people. Do we have a ways to go? Yes. Are we much better off than we were in the past? Unbelievably so. So things have changed.