Medical Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease whose major manifestation is synovitis of multiple joints. The hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis is symmetrical synovial proliferation and tenderness of multiple joints, particularly the small joints of hands and feet. When the disease is unchecked, it leads to substantial disability and premature death1. It affects approximately 0.8 percent of adults worldwide 2 and is more common in women (by a ratio of 3 to 1) and has an earlier onset in women, frequently beginning in the childbearing years.