Treat Rheumatologic Disorders Early and Effectively

[Guest guest]

" Call to Arms: Treat Rheumatologic Disorders Early and Effectively with

Disease-modifying Therapy "

June 2, 2003

Dr. A. Paget

Physician-in-Chief and Chairman of the Division of Rheumatology

Hospital for Special Surgery

With rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it often takes many months or even years

for the diagnosis to be made and, even when it is made, treatment is

often delayed or inappropriate. This is particularly disturbing given

the extraordinary disease-modifying advances that have been made with

this disorder. In this day and age, just as no physician would hold back

treatment for an infection, hypertension, angina, peptic ulcer disease

or diabetes, neither should they put off early aggressive RA therapy

with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs.) These drugs have

been shown to profoundly decrease the development of joint erosions,

joint space narrowing, and functional limitation, and they also lengthen

the life span of RA patients. The cytokine burden of untreated RA will

also promote the development of premature atherosclerosis and

osteoporosis, unappreciated areas of collateral damage. Even some

rheumatologists still treat well-defined RA with NSAIDs alone, an

antiquated concept for most of the world's rheumatology community.

For the entire, excellent article, please see:

http://rheumatology.hss.edu/phys/musings/call2arms.asp

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org