How will I be treated?
The understanding of rheumatoid arthritis has improved vastly in recent years, and there are now many effective treatments that can help ease the pain and symptoms, and slow down the disease. It is very important that treatment is started early to minimise damage to joints.
There are national guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis which were published in February 2009 by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) and which NRAS were involved in developing. For a downloadable copy of Understanding NICE Guidance, please
click here. There are also guidelines published by the British Society for Rheumatology.
The important thing which a rheumatologist will want to do once you are diagnosed is to give you one or a combination of Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) which help to slow down the progression of the disease. This may probably include a course of short term steroids to help to control symptoms whilst waiting for the DMARDs to take effect. Getting the inflammation under control is key and progressing rapidly through drug combinations until the right drugs and dosage for you are reached.
For more information about treatment and measuring your disease activity score, please see the articles below and
order a copy of our Newly Diagnosed Guide.
Original article: 13/01/2010
Reviewed: N/A
Next review due: 13/01/2013
Articles
By Dr George Hirsch & Dr Diarmuid Mulherin
Last reviewed: 18/08/2009
By Dawn Homer
Last reviewed: 26/04/2011