While the past decade has seen great advances in the understanding and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, there are still segments of the rheumatoid arthritis population that have not been able to even try many newer treatments due to the presence of other illnesses. Such patients must deal with more than one potentially life-shortening illness... Read more
I have discussed here more than once the increased risk of death in rheumatoid arthritis patients when compared to healthy individuals. Interestingly, one-third to one-half of premature deaths in rheumatoid arthritis is due to cardiovascular disease; and it appears that inflammation plays a large role in the hardening of the arteries seen in... Read more
While the traditional x-ray is still the radiologic tool most used by rheumatologists to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has slowly but surely developed a following among some rheumatologists. This is because MRI studies can show much more detail than the plain x-ray.
The question, however, remains to be... Read more
The question invariably asked by every rheumatoid arthritis patient: Do I have to take these medications for the rest of my life?
I do not know the answer to this question for any individual patient. But I do know that the answer, in general, is usually, yes.
Yes, because there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Yes, because... Read more
Most U.S. rheumatologists would agree that the standard of care when it comes to treating rheumatoid arthritis in is: If a rheumatoid arthritis patient isn't helped by methotrexate, then add an anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) drug, one of the so-called biologic agents that have proven so effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
The... Read more
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