Overview of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease with the characteristics of inflammation throughout the body. Patients with RA typically experience joint pain and other complications. The pathogenesis of RA is complicated, with the factors of genes, environment, and auto-antibodies. Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to more serious consequences in the other parts of the body without treatments. Hence, the drugs for the treatment of RA are necessary. Nowadays, there are four main types of drugs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and biological agents. This article will mainly discuss the pathogenesis of RA and compare two types of drugs, NSAIDs, and DMARDs, with one selected for each.