Clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis

The key to successful management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the early diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis and early specialist referral to access appropriate pharmacological and multidisciplinary team therapies, reducing the risk of permanent joint damage and systemic complications. RA characteristically presents as a symmetrical polyarthritis, predominantly affecting the small joints, with swelling, stiffness and pain on joint compression. This article covers the diagnosis and assessment of RA, and risk factors that predict disease severity and extra-articular complications.