Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Overview

• Published in: Cells (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 10; no. 11; p. 2857
• Main Authors: Radu, Andrei-Flavius, Bungau, Simona Gabriela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 23-10-2021; MDPI
• Subjects: anti-citrullinated protein antibodies; Antirheumatic Agents - chemistry; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - epidemiology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - pathology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - physiopathology; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - therapy; Autoimmune diseases; Diagnosis; Disease prevention; DMARDs; Drug development; Epidemiology; Etiology; extra-articular manifestations; Health risk assessment; Humans; Janus kinase inhibitors; Joint diseases; Medical records; Models, Biological; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Patients; Population; Protein Kinase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Review; Rheumatic diseases; Rheumatoid arthritis; rheumatoid factor; Rheumatology; Risk factors; Trends; Womens health; Argentina; Serbia; France; United States > US; Japan; Janus kinase inhibitors; proteins; rheumatoid factor; anti-citrullinated protein antibodies; DMARDs; extra-articular manifestations; rheumatoid arthritis; targets
• ISSN: 2073-4409; 2073-4409
• DOI: 10.3390/cells10112857

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease of unknown etiology, primarily affecting the joints, then extra-articular manifestations can occur. Due to its complexity, which is based on an incompletely elucidated pathophysiological mechanism, good RA management requires a multidisciplinary approach. The clinical status of RA patients has improved in recent years due to medical advances in diagnosis and treatment, that have made it possible to reduce disease activity and prevent systemic complications. The most promising results were obtained by developing disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), the class to which conventional synthetic, biologic, and targeted synthetic drugs belong. Furthermore, ongoing drug development has led to obtaining molecules with improved efficacy and safety profiles, but further research is needed until RA turns into a curable pathology. In the present work, we offer a comprehensive perspective on the management of RA, by centralizing the existing data provided by significant literature, emphasizing the importance of an early and accurate diagnosis associated with optimal personalized treatment in order to achieve better outcomes for RA patients. In addition, this study suggests future research perspectives in the treatment of RA that could lead to higher efficacy and safety profiles and lower financial costs.