[Comprehensive review of the possibilities and limits of drug therapy of rheumatic diseases].

Practically 10-20% of all patients registered with a General Practitioner complains of symptoms in some way associated with rheumatism. Incidences of this disorder are distributed in such a way as to form a pattern whereby 55% is troubled with extra-articulary rheumatism, 38% with arthrosis and spondylarthrosis and 7% with rheumatoid arthritis. It is of most importance that the General Practitioner identifies these patients during the early stages of their disorder, and that he commerces the necessary treatment immediately. With the exception of streptococcus-rheumatism and gout, the pathogenesis of rheumatics eludes us to this day. As far as individual measures are concerned therefore, it is merely a question of selecting some kind of treatment, ranging from the symptomatic to the semi-causal, which can be used alongside the recommended form of therapy. The author describes various kinds of treatment including NSTAR, Glucocorticoids, Antisuppressives and basic therapy such as Chloroquin, gold and D-Penicillamin.