Emphasizes the importance of early intervention in RA with focus on pharmacologic treatment of RA. Detailed information on the various medications employed in treatment, including corticosteroids, NSAIDs DMARDs, biologic agents, and combination therapy is reviewed, including evidence based data on efficacy, safety, side effects, and monitoring requirements. Clinical evaluation is presented, including lab findings, joint scoring, diagnostic criteria, and radiographic outcomes. Surgical options and the management of advanced RA are disussed.

Emphasizes the importance of early intervention in RA with focus on pharmacologic treatments of RA. Detailed information on the various medications employed in treatment, including corticosteroids, NSAIDs, DMARDs, biologic agents, and combination therapy, is reviewed, including evidence-based data on efficacy, safety, side effects, and monitoring requirements. Clinical evaluation is presented, including lab findings, joint scoring, diagnostic criteria, and radiographic outcomes. Surgical options and the management of advanced RA are discussed.

This issue covers the latest developments in the understanding of rheumatoid arthritis at the early stage. Treatments such as with newer biologic agents and conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are reviewed. Also included are articles on imaging modalities as a means of identifying those in the early stages and monitoring response to treatment.

Important strides have been made in understanding the pathophysiologic basis of many inflammatory conditions in recent years, but rheumatology remains a discipline in which diagnosis is rooted in the medical history skillfully extracted from the patient, the careful physical examination, and the discriminating use of laboratory tests and imaging. Moreover, selection of the most appropriate therapy for patients with rheumatic diseases also remains heavily reliant upon clinical experience. Medical disciplines such as rheumatology that depend significantly upon clinical wisdom are prone to the development of systems of ‘Pearls’ and ‘Myths,’ related to the diseases they call their own, a ‘Pearl’ being a nugget of truth about the diagnosis or treatment of a particular disease that has been gained by dint of clinical experience and a ‘Myth’ being a commonly held belief that influences the practice of many clinicians – but is false. This book will pool together the clinical wisdom of seasoned, expert rheumatologists who participate in the care of patients with autoimmune diseases, systemic inflammatory disorders, and all other rheumatic conditions.

This brand new textbook of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an important addition to the Oxford Textbooks in Rheumatology series, and provides a comprehensive overview of both the scientific and clinical aspects of the disease. Divided into eight sections - from the history, diagnosis, and epidemiology of the disease, through the pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and assessment to treatments and management strategies, both drug- and non-drug based - each chapter is written by leading clinicians and scientists in the field to deliver a contemporary view of RA. During the past two decades there have been revolutionary changes in the understanding and management of rheumatoid arthritis, in particular the development of biological treatments. This has had wide-ranging effects on almost all aspects of treatment, from effectiveness and intensity to the nature and the cost. Providing a comprehensive account of the modern ideas about the disease, the Oxford Textbook of Rheumatoid Arthritis is a key new addition to the literature, with each chapter providing a detailed background, key recent advances, and areas of doubt and future developments. Featuring over 170 photographs, radiological images, and clinical charts to aid both diagnosis and illustrate the rationale behind key scientific studies, this new title will prove an indispensable resource for specialist rheumatologists, trainees in rheumatology, and other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

This authoritative clinical reference provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of rheumatoid arthritis. The basics of rheumatoid arthritis are thoroughly covered in order to provide a firm foundation for the main focus of the text: therapy and clinical management of the disease. Practitioners will find detailed information on both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic courses of management, with special emphasis on the management of pain. More than 100 full-color illustrations provide clear visual support for the concepts in the text. Online references in each chapter, as well as an entire chapter on Web-based information resources, keep this book on the cutting edge of this rapidly evolving field.

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.

Atlas of Rheumatoid Arthritis is a high-quality educational initiative, written by leaders in the field of rheumatology, containing a collection of approximately 150 relevant images, with extended descriptive captions and a comprehensive bibliography. The Atlas of Rheumatoid Arthritis will provide clinicians with a visual guide to rheumatoid arthritis, focusing on assessment, diagnosis and treatment, including newer research into the signalling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of RA, before focusing on the treatment of RA. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common and most serious of the inflammatory arthritic disorders, and it dominates clinical rheumatological practice. Effective, early treatment is vital as this can slow the course of the disease and reduce joint damage. RA is usually treated using disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), most commonly methotrexate. The newest treatments target the disease-causing immune elements specifically and directly.