Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that currently affects 1 in 50 people in Australia.
A progressive disease with no cure, it initially affects the joints, but can extend to major body organs and systems with serious complications.
Early diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is very important for preventing or at least modifying these complications.
This module discusses the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis, what the causes and risk factors are thought to be, diagnosis, and signs and symptoms. Finally, it discusses the current treatments.
This module is useful for any clinician wanting an introduction to this disease.
At the end of this module participants will be able to:
