[Basic therapy of rheumatoid arthritis].

Apart from the conventional treatment of the rheumatoid arthritis with steroidal and non-steroidal antirheumatic remedies, physiotherapy and balneotherapy as well as orthopaedic and surgical measures the basis therapy is an important factor. It has no or only slight analgetic effect, but shall inhibit the immunological processes in the pathogenesis of the rheumatoid arthritis. To the basis therapy belong the antimalarial remedies, the gold salts, the cytostatic remedies as immunosuppressive drugs and the D-penicillamine. Their possible and different modes of action are described, their clinical applications are explained and it is referred to their side-effects and contraindications. In these cases also the value of the individual preparations in the complex plan of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are evaluated.