(NU) - New research on the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis may help millions of people avoid the pain and disability associated with the disease.
Recent studies show that rheumatoid arthritis responds better to aggressive treatment during the first few months of illness than to the same treatment after the disease advances.
That approach is the reverse of the traditional method of treating rheumatoid arthritis, in which the least aggressive therapy was used first.
"We now know that early detection and aggressive treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are the keys to preventing severe pain and disability," said David Felson, M.D., a rheumatologist at Boston University.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than two million Americans, about 60 percent of them women. The chronic disease causes pain, stiffness, swelling and loss of function in the joints.
Although most people associate arthritis with aging, the peak onset of rheumatoid arthritis is between the ages 20 and 45.
"Obviously, not every episode of joint pain is a sign of rheumatoid arthritis," Dr. Felson said. "But people with persistent joint pain or stiffness who wait to see a physician, hoping their pain will go away, may be passing up an opportunity to change the course of their disease and protect their quality of life.
"It's important for people to understand that this disease is treatable."
