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 arthritis 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 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.
Can I be cured?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis – at least not yet – but finding a cure is certainly a goal for researchers. In the meantime, there are many things you can do to control RA and limit its impact on your life. Today, it is easier than ever to control RA through the use of new drugs, exercise, joint protection techniques and self-management techniques.
