British Society for Rheumatology and British Health Professionals in Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis (the first two years)

Extract

Scope and purpose of the guideline

The annual incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in the UK is ∼24 per hundred thousand [1]. The current guideline provides practical evidence-based advice on recommended interventions in RA. The objective is to provide a framework of care for managing RA, including control of synovitis, symptom control, self-management, physical functioning, psychosocial functioning and screening/monitoring. The primary target of this guidance is health professionals and managers; however, it is also relevant to patients with RA. The guidance is limited to the first 2 yrs of RA. This is a short summary of the whole guideline. The full guideline is available on the journal website (see supplementary material for full guideline). The current guideline does not include psoriatic arthritis, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biological therapy in RA because these areas are described in separate British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) guidelines [2–4].

Guideline for managing early RA