Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease in which early aggressive therapy with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs can improve outcome and prevent joint damage. While such therapy is effective, its application can be limited by diagnostic uncertainty in patients with early inflammatory arthritis and concerns about treatment of patients whose disease would remit spontaneously. The purpose of current research is therefore to identify prognostic markers of early disease and to determine the role of aggressive treatment strategies in inducing remission in such patients.
