Volume : 13, Issue : 06, June – 2026

Title:

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ARTICLE

Authors :

Syed Mohammed Hussain, Rahila Amjad, Adiba Fathima, Mohammed Baqtiyar Ahmed, Dr. P. Soma Shekhar

Abstract :

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune inflammatory disease that mainly involves the synovial joints and has a prevalence of about 0.5-1% worldwide and high socioeconomic impact. This review article provides an in-depth discussion of the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, immunological mechanisms, clinical manifestation, diagnostic criteria, pharmacological treatment, monitoring and follow-ups, drug interaction, non-pharmacological treatment and emerging therapeutic targets in RA based on the existing evidence-based literature and clinical guidelines.
Pathogenesis is a complex interaction of genetic susceptibility (especially HLA-DRB1 alleles), environmental factors (smoking, microbial antigens), and disregulated innate and adaptive immune reactions with T-cell activation, B-cell autoantibody production, and amplification of cytokine cascades. The most important pro-inflammatory mediators include Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF- 6 ), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-1 (IL-1) are the drivers of synovitis, pannus formation, cartilage erosion and bone destruction.
Treat-to-target (T2T) is a pharmacological approach to managing arthritis that uses conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) starting with methotrexate (MTX) as anchor drug. TNF inhibitors, IL-6 receptor antagonists, and B-cell/T-cell modulators, as well as targeted synthetic DMARDs (tsDMARDs) like JAK inhibitors are used in the refractory disease. The role of the pharmacist in medication counseling, monitoring of adverse drug reactions and patient education is brought to the fore. The parameters and drug interaction as well as patient-centered outcomes such as disease activity scoring and quality of life are monitored in detail.
Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis, DMARDs, Methotrexate, TNF inhibitors, JAK inhibitors, Synovitis, Treat-to-Target, ESI Hospital, PharmD

Cite This Article:

Please cite this article in press Syed Mohammed Hussain et al., Rheumatoid Arthritis-A Comprehensive Review Article .., Indo Am. J. P. Sci, 2026; 13(06).

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