The "treat-to-target" strategies for rheumatoid arthritis and managing for bone cartilage destructions

Abstract

Sometime ago, there was little choice for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)that was regarded as an untreateble disease but supportive analgesics and mild disease modified drugs. The advent of biological agents with abundant clinical researches regarding remarkable efficacy has cased dramatically the paradigm shift in the treatment of RA. The strategy for medical care to RA has now entered a new era in that treatment target should be clarified and shared between patient and rheumatologist aiming the prevention of structural damage and the maintain of long-term quality of life(QOL)by tight-control. In this review, we summarize the "treat to target"(T2T)strategies for RA and its impact to manage for bone and cartilage destructions.