Pocket Reference to Early Rheumatoid Arthritis

Description:

Written by a world-renowned expert in rheumatology this book serves as a refresher for GPs and hospital doctors containing practical diagnostic and treatment advice. Reviews clinical developments and guidelines, and places them into everyday clinical practice Stresses the importance of early and aggressive treatment Concise but comprehensive whilst being loaded with illustrations including imaging examples all presented in pocket sized format   Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common and serious inflammatory arthritis, resulting in joint destruction, functional impairment and increased mortality.  The outcome of the disease, however, has improved considerably in recent years with the availability of effective therapies and the recognition that early intensive treatment strategies result in better outcomes. This book has been designed to increase physician awareness of the importance of early and intensive treatment – a key pharmaceutical strategy in rheumatoid arthritis.

Table of Contents:

Author biography

Chapter 1 Rheumatoid arthritis: an overview

Incidence

Aetiology and pathophysiology

Genetic factors

Environmental factors

Inflammation

Socioeconomic burden of rheumatoid arthritis

Economic burden for the patient

Impact of gender and economic status

Chapter 2 Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

Typical clinical presentation

Radiological presentation

Diagnostic criteria

Differential diagnosis

EULAR recommendations for differential diagnosis

Diagnostic tests and evaluation of likelihood of progression

Chapter 3 The need for early diagnosis and intervention in rheumatoid arthritis

Undifferentiated and early arthritis

The problems of early detection

Recognition of the presence of an inflammatory arthritis

Exclusion of other diseases

Estimation of the risk of persistence and progression

Evidence from clinical trials to support early intervention

Aggressive treatment in early arthritis

Early arthritis clinics

Nurse-led clinics

Outpatient management

Chapter 4 Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Goals of therapy

The importance of treatment to target

An overview of available medications

NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors

Corticosteroids

DMARDs

Biologic agents

TNF-α inhibitors

Comparisons with methotrexate

Combination therapy

Combination therapy with remission as a primary end-point

Speed of clinical response

The role of TNF-α inhibitors in early rheumatoid arthritis

Biologic agents aimed at targets other than TNF

Rituximab

Abatacept

Tocilizumab

Other biologics in development

Conservative vs aggressive treatment approaches

Overview of safety and tolerability profiles

NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors

Corticosteroids

Conventional DMARDs

Biologic agents

Chapter 5 Monitoring disease progression, treatment response and outcome

Joint count measures

Laboratory measures

Clinical measures

Radiographic measures

Criteria for remission of rheumatoid arthritis

Recommendations for monitoring treatment response

Chapter 6 Imaging techniques in rheumatoid arthritis

What techniques are available?

Assessing radiographic progression

Joint abnormalities

Quantitative analysis of radiographs

Chapter 7 Guidelines

EULAR guidelines

BSR guidelines

NICE guidance

References