[Immunomodulating therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (chronic polyarthritis): use of monoclonal antibodies].

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease mainly affecting the joints. The etiology is still unknown, but it shows several clinical and laboratory features of an autoimmune process. The conventional medical therapy consisting of a combination of analgetic and antiphlogistic agents with so called slow acting drugs is often not satisfactory and fails to persistently suppress disease activity. Therefore, therapeutic alternatives are necessary which are provided by a new generation of immunosuppressing agents including monoclonal antibodies. The paper will summarize some therapeutic approaches using monoclonal antibodies towards cell surface antigens or soluble mediators of inflammation for therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.