Medical Research Service, Durham VA Hospital, NC 27705, USA.
Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2012 Apr;26(2):251-61. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2012.03.001.
The inflammatory arthritides are a diverse group of conditions characterised by joint inflammation which can lead to pain, deformity and disability. Of these diseases, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis are two of the most common. While the clinical and demographic features of these diseases differ, the central role of inflammation in their pathogenesis has allowed the development of highly effective treatment strategies with wide applicability. These strategies include the use of biological agents which target the cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF), a key mediator of inflammation. With the advent of effective agents, therapy has become more aggressive, reducing disease activity and allowing, at least in RA, remission in many patients. While the array of available effective treatments is extensive, the use of objective measures of disease activity can guide treatment decisions (treat to target) and lead to improved outcomes.
炎症性关节炎是一组具有关节炎症特征的疾病，可导致疼痛、畸形和残疾。在这些疾病中，类风湿关节炎（RA）和脊柱关节炎是最常见的两种。虽然这些疾病的临床和人口统计学特征不同，但炎症在发病机制中的核心作用使得开发出了具有广泛适用性的高效治疗策略成为可能。这些策略包括使用靶向细胞因子肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）的生物制剂，TNF 是炎症的关键介质。随着有效药物的出现，治疗变得更加积极，降低了疾病活动度，使许多患者至少在 RA 中能够缓解。虽然现有的有效治疗方法很多，但使用疾病活动的客观指标可以指导治疗决策（针对目标治疗）并改善结果。
