Review Article
Jyothi Pinnapureddy, David Ban
Abstract
Arthritis is a very common disease affecting the joints, skin and various internal organs. It causes pain, stiffness and sometimes swelling in or around joints. In normal bones, the ends are lined by cartilage, which provides ‘cushioning’ and allows a joint to move freely. The joint is enclosed in a capsule containing fluid, which provides nutrition, and lubricates the joint. Arthritis can occur when there is something wrong with this system. Rheumatoid arthritis is such a debilitating illness that much effort has been made to find the ideal therapeutic regimen that has a high efficacy but low toxicity rate. Developments in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have highlighted the need for objective disease activity indices applicable to both research and clinical settings and this area has become an important area of research. This review discusses each of these major disease indices and focuses on the most recent developments in their application to clinical care.