What are the goals and principles of arthritis therapy?
The therapy for arthritis is focused on the following goals: a) pain and inflammation control; b) preservation of the joint anatomy and mechanics; c) prevention of the disease exacerbation; and d) preservation of muscle function. The precise therapy of arthritis begins when the diagnosis is established. One of the key issues in the arthritis therapy is the identification and elimination of the disease root. This is feasible only in certain types of arthritis. For example, normalization of uric acid concentration helps patients with gout and eradication of an infectious agent causing septic arthritis cures the arthritis. In the majority of the patients with arthritis, the therapy is focused on symptom and disease modification. Symptom-modifying therapy mainly is for pain control. Disease-modifying therapy is for control of inflammation as well as preservation of the joint anatomy and function. The drugs used for the disease-modifying therapy are called Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic D
