Rheumatology

We have witnessed an explosion of developments in the field of inflammatory arthritis over the last few years. For example, advances in our understanding of disease pathogenesis have resulted in therapies that can target specific disease related inflammatory cytokines leading to improved clinical outcomes. Much of this research has been in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but new treatments have also been successfully translated into benefits for patients with other rheumatic diseases. This article focuses on a selection of the current developments as they move into routine clinical practise and will discuss: the use of anti TNFα therapies and other ‘biological agents’ in inflammatory joint disease; advances in musculoskeletal imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound; the diagnosis and treatment of early inflammatory arthritis; the impact of systemic inflammatory disease on cardiovascular mortality; the treatment of psoriatic arthritis; the use of potent intravenous bisphosphonates for bone disease and the increasing incidence of gout.