CKS is no longer commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE remains committed to providing a replacement service for CKS and is currently reviewing its options. In the meantime, although CKS content is now not being maintained, it still remains relevant and will continue to be made available. CKS content was generated under a programme of topic creation and update. To check if the topic you are viewing is current or out of date, please refer to the topic publication details by clicking on the 'How up-to-date is this topic?' link in the left hand menu on individual topic pages.
Rheumatoid arthritis
In the right clinical topic?
Age from 16 years onwards
This CKS topic is based on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline Rheumatoid arthritis: the management of rheumatoid arthritis [National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Conditions, 2009; NICE, 2009].
This CKS topic covers when to suspect a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the initial management of suspected RA, how to manage a flare of confirmed RA, and the role of primary care in RA.
This CKS topic does not cover the drug treatment of confirmed RA, or the management of complications and associated comorbidities.
There are separate CKS topics on CVD risk assessment and management, DMARDs, NSAIDs - prescribing issues, and Osteoporosis - treatment.
The target audience for this CKS topic is healthcare professionals working within the NHS in England, and providing first contact or primary health care. Patient information from Arthritis Research UK is intended to be printed and given to people with this condition or their carers.
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