REVIEW - Early RA diagnosis and a window of opportunity for remission

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Earlier Diagnosis Opens Window for RA Remission

Medscape

Janis C.

December 23, 2010 — Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be driven into

remission in many cases, but only if treatment starts within weeks of

symptom onset, and clinicians need to move faster to make this happen,

experts say in an article published in the December issue of the

Journal of Clinical Rheumatology.

" Clinicians need to know that there is only a limited window of

opportunity during which the outcome of disease can be qualitatively

changed, " senior author Emery, MD, told Medscape Medical News.

Dr. Emery is professor of rheumatology, head of section for

musculoskeletal disease at the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine,

and director of the Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit in

the United Kingdom.

In a review of current research on management of inflammatory

arthritis, Dr. Emery, lead author Edith Villeneuve, MD, and

Hildebrandt, also from the University of Leeds, recommend prompt

specialist review of all new cases of inflammatory arthritis, even

those thought unlikely to progress to RA.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/734785

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