RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 State-of-the-art: rheumatoid arthritis
JF Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
JO Ann Rheum Dis
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and European League Against Rheumatism
SP 1898
OP 1906
DO 10.1136/ard.2010.134684
VO 69
IS 11
A1 Iain B McInnes
A1 James R O'Dell
YR 2010
UL http://ard.bmj.com/content/69/11/1898.abstract
AB The understanding of the pathogenesis and optimal therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has advanced remarkably over the last decade. This review highlights these key advances, particularly the outcomes of genome-wide scans which have provided an increasingly robust appraisal of the complex genetics that underpin RA. Such observations are placed in pathogenetic context, particularly concerning the breach of tolerance that presages synovitis and the mechanisms that subserve chronicity. The key therapeutic strategies and treatment agents, both conventional and biological, now available to effectively manage the disease are described. Throughout the review, emphasis is placed on unanswered questions and challenges in this exciting field.