Rheumatoid arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease with an unknown etiology that affects 1% of the world's population. Rheumatoid arthritis causes chronic inflammation and joint pain. Physical exam results are the primary way to clinically diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. At this point, the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still unknown. The signs of “swelling, bone erosions and synovial thickening” (Gibofsky) show the hidden signs of the inflammatory and autoimmune process. More complex signs of rheumatoid arthritis lead to synovial hyperplasia, bone erosion, and cartilage damage that typically affect 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis within the first year of diagnosis. Once the bones are eroded, there is no sign of bone repair. This suggests that prevention of bone erosion is a goal. Rheumatoid arthritis also causes joint damage that can lead to pain and disability. The severity of pain and physical dysfunction shows the degree of the disease. RA is influenced by the severity of the disease and the effectiveness of the treatment. Remission occurs in 20% or fewer of people. Standard indices of disease activity are used to determine the best treatment-to-target approach using pharmacological intervention. The first-line treatment for rheumatoid arthritis is the use of medications. The three main drug therapies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis are nonsteroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Among the three drug therapies listed above, nonsteroidal inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, are the most commonly used medications to control stiffness, pain, and inflammation due to rheumatoid arthritis. For the first few weeks, NSAIDs can be very useful while undergoing a diagnosis and in a precarious and mortality situation. It is important that people experiencing these symptoms receive a diagnosis and begin treatment before extensive damage to the joints and bones occurs. This will bring hope for further improvements in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. Works Cited Curtis, Jeffrey R., Angelo Gaffo, and Kenneth G. Saag. "Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis." American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 63.24 (2006): 2451+. Academic OneFile. Network. January 25, 2014Gibsofsky, Allan. “Overview of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.” American Journal of Managed Care 18. (2012): S295-302. CINAHL Plus with full text. Network. 25 January 2014Schneider, Matthias and Klaus Kruger. "Rheumatoid arthritis: early diagnosis and management of the disease". Deutsches Aerzteblatt International 110.27/28 (2013): 477-484. CINAHL Plus with full text. Network. January 25. 2014