Tight control applied to the biological therapy of rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract

In the last decade, treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have included the early use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, since prompt suppression of disease activity is associated with a reduction in radiological damage. This strategy has now been incorporated into the broader concept of "tight control", defined as a treatment strategy tailored to each patient with RA, which aims to achieve a predefined level of low disease activity or remission within a certain period of time. To pursue this goal, tight control should include careful and continuous monitoring of disease activity, and early therapeutic adjustments or switches should be considered as necessary. It is noteworthy that the key role of tight control of RA has been stressed by the recent EULAR Guidelines. This review discusses the most recent evidence concerning the role of a tight control strategy in the treatment of RA, and on how this strategy should be pursued.

• Authors: Oscar Massimiliano Epis, Luca Giacomelli, Silvia Deidda, Eleonora Bruschi
• Journal: Autoimmunity reviews (Autoimmun Rev) Vol. 12 Issue 8 Pg. 839-41 (Jun 2013) ISSN: 1873-0183 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 23219770 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Monoclonal
• Antirheumatic Agents

Topics

• Antibodies, Monoclonal (therapeutic use)
• Antirheumatic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Arthritis, Rheumatoid (drug therapy)
• Biological Therapy
• Humans
• Practice Guidelines as Topic
• Precision Medicine