INFO - Why is it important to start treatment early?

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Arthritis Foundation

Arthritis Today Magazine

04 Jan 2008

Frequently Asked Questions About Rheumatoid Arthritis

Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis

Why is it important to start treatment early?

Early, aggressive treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is important not

only to relieve symptoms and make you more comfortable now, but to

help prevent serious problems later – particularly if blood tests

indicate you are at risk of developing a more serious form of the

disease.

Doctors generally agree that your risk of serious disease is greater

if blood tests are positive for antibodies to rheumatoid factor (RF)

or cyclic citrullinated proteins (anti-CCP). While not all people with

RA test positive for these antibodies, a positive test can indicate

that you need more aggressive treatment to help keep the disease from

progressing.

Fifteen or 20 years ago, doctors started treatment for virtually all

RA patients with aspirin or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

(NSAIDs) to ease pain and inflammation, and progressed to stronger

disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) if symptoms persisted.

Today, however, research shows that that irreparable damage can occur

early in the disease process, so doctors make every attempt to treat

aggressively early on to slow or even stop that process before damage

occurs.

If you are not receiving treatment, or if you're not being treated

aggressively, you risk damage to your joints that could lead to

deformity and disability – and possibly necessitate joint replacement

surgery – down the road.

Aggressive treatment usually involves a disease-modifying

antirheumatic drug such as methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine

(Plaquenil), sulfasalazine (Azulfidine); a biologic agent such as

etanercept (Enbrel) or adalimumab (Humira), or a combination of both a

biologic and a DMARD.

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Read the entire article here:

http://www.arthritis.org/faqs-treating-ra.php

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