Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that results in progressive disability and increased mortality. New therapeutic strategies are being recommended to initiate, earlier than in the past, more aggressive use of disease-modifying drugs in an effort to reduce joint destruction. In this article, the results of recent clinical trials with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, intravenous "pulse" corticosteroids, and standard disease-modifying drugs are reviewed. In addition, preliminary results of trials with new experimental therapies, such as botanical and marine lipids, interferon-gamma, and monoclonal antibodies directed against leukocyte cell surface markers are discussed.