Current management of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, is a chronic, inflammatory, progressive disease. Most patients have moderate disease, with a variable disease course and symptomatic flares interspersed with periods of relatively lower disease activity. Over the last 2 decades, the treatment of RA has evolved dramatically, from use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs to newer biologics. None of these therapies represents a cure for RA; however, the availability and the efficacy of multiple treatments has made remission of the disease a realistic target.