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<p>The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidance ‘Rheumatoid
Arthritis in Adults: management’, updated in 2018, sets out best practice on the diagnosis,
treatment, care support of people living with the condition. The guidance emphasises
the need for early diagnosis, with urgent referral to a specialist rheumatologist
on suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This is because treatment at an early stage
can halt progression of disease. The guidance also recommends patients with RA are
managed by a multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy
and psychology support.</p><p> </p><p>Patients can often be successfully managed disease-modifying
antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or biologic drugs if DMARDs do not produce the desired
results or are not tolerated. Biologicals target individual molecules and tend to
work more quickly than conventional DMARDs. Local National Health Service commissioners
should take NICE guidance into account when planning services for local populations.
The full guidance can be viewed at the following link:</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100/resources/rheumatoid-arthritis-in-adults-management-pdf-66141531233989"
target="_blank">www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100/resources/rheumatoid-arthritis-in-adults-management-pdf-66141531233989</a></p>
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