Number of painful joints | | CRP and/or ESR | | Age | | Rapidity of treatment action | | Personal experience |
Number of swollen joints | Structural damage present | Desire to conceive within the year | Efficacy against inflammation | |
Overall severity | Rheumatoid factor | Menopause/contraception | Efficacy against structural damage |
Patient’s assessment | | Personal medical history, general | Interaction with comedications | |
Doctor’s assessment | | Drug intolerance | Constraints of monitoring |
Overall intensity of pain | | Comorbidities | | |
Morning stiffness | | Hypertension |
Night time awakening | | Liver (AST, ALT, hepatitis B/C serology) | | |
Functional disability | | Kidney (creatinine, urine dipstick) |
ESR/CRP | | Lung (chest x ray) | | |
| | Alcohol abuse |
| | Haematological anomalies | | |
| | Patient’s acceptance of treatment |
| | Patient’s acceptance of therapeutic risk | | |
| | Patient’s willingness to submit to rigorous follow up |