DC-ART - THE CONCEPT

The International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) and t he World Health Organization (WHO) have ratified a new classification of antirheumatic therapy comprising two major categories, as follows: (1) Symptom modifying antirheumatic drugs (SMARD) improve the symptoms and clinical features of inflammatory synovitis; (2) Disease controll ing antirheumatic therapy (DC-ART) changes the course of rheumatoid ar thritis. The DC-ART category, a new group and a new concept, poses a n umber of problems and challenges but also generates a basis for settin g management objectives for rheumatoid arthritis. It is uncertain whet her any of the current SMARD would fulfill the stringent DC-ART criter ia.