New guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis have been issued by the American College of Rheumatology.

Co-authored by physicians at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), the guidelines update strategies for treating the condition with the aim of preventing joint damage and disability.

According to the revised recommendations, effective combinations of medicines and the development of new disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) have significantly improved the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Lead author, Dr Kenneth Saag, professor in the UAB Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, said: "The recommendations developed are not intended to be used in a 'cookbook' or prescriptive manner, or to limit a physician's clinical judgment. They provide guidance based on clinical evidence and expert panel input."

Some of the revised guidelines include the administration of methotrexate or leflunomide therapy for most patients and the prescription of anti-TNF agents - adalimumab (Humira), etanercept (Enbrel) and infliximab (Remicade) - in addition to methotrexate to treat worsening symptoms in early cases.

However, physicians are warned not to prescribe anti-TNF agents to patients with a medical history of heart failure, lymphoma or multiple sclerosis.

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