临床前期类风湿关节炎的特点及治疗策略

Characteristics of and treatment strategies for preclinical rheumatoid arthritis

类风湿关节炎(RA)影响全球1%的人口,其特征是持续性炎症和关节损伤。多项研究表明,早期治疗可降低疾病进程的严重程度,并增加获得无抗风湿药物持续缓解的机会。最近的一些研究数据表明疾病过程在临床前阶段已经活跃,但是目前还不清楚RA具体从什么时候开始。本文将回顾该领域的最新进展,探讨临床前期RA的特点,识别可能发展为RA的临床前期患者,讨论目前对临床前期RA理解的局限性,以及未来临床前期RA可能的研究方向。

Rheumatoid arthritis,characterized by persistent inflammation and joint damage,affects 1% of the world's population.Several studies have shown that early treatment can reduce the severity of disease progression and increase the chances of sustained remission without disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.Recent research data indicate that the disease process has been active in the pre-clinical stage(before arthritis can be detected clinically).However,it is not clear when RA will begin.This article reviews the latest advances in this field,explores the characteristics of pre-RA,identifies pre-clinical patients who may develop into RA,and discusses the limitations of our current understanding of pre-RA and the possible future research directions.