A CURRENT VIEW ON THE PROBLEM OF RAPIDLY PROGRESSIVE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Abstract

It is shown that to achieve clinical remission and to prevent further joint destruction and functional impairments in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it is important to identify as soon as possible the signs permitting one to detect patients with rapidly progressive RA (or those who have a poor prognosis as a rapid progression of joint destruction). These are precisely the patients in whom the early detection of markers for rapid progression may give grounds to immediately prescribe aggressive therapy using genetic engineering biologicals, which boosts chances of modifying the course of the disease