Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease that involves inflammation of the joints, tendons and the tissues surrounding the joints. It can limit a person’s ability to carry out activities and lead to a reduced quality of life. For some patients it can lead to joint destruction, severe disability, and disfigurement. There are several treatments available for RA and treatment options are constantly increasing. Basing recommendations for treatment on the most up to date information is important for good patient care.

What Will We Do?

We will create a new approach for identifying, updating and assembling new information on treatments for RA. We will compare the various treatments with each other so that we can determine which treatment is most beneficial or harmful. In addition we will be identifying and constantly updating and including new information on treatment for RA as it becomes available. We will also identify the best treatment for patients with RA based on previous treatment history. The results of this study will allow for informative discussions between patients and clinicians.