1. The specialist physician's approach to rheumatoid arthritis in South Africa
- Author
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Fredricka J. Bosch, Barend J. Jansen van Rensburg, and Frederik C. J. Bester
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Rheumatoid arthritis management ,Alternative medicine ,Context (language use) ,Disease ,Review ,Severity of Illness Index ,Arthritis, Rheumatoid ,03 medical and health sciences ,South Africa ,0302 clinical medicine ,Risk Factors ,Prevalence ,Medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Practice Patterns, Physicians' ,Biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug ,030203 arthritis & rheumatology ,Traditional medicine ,business.industry ,Rheumatoid arthritis criteria ,medicine.disease ,Treatment Outcome ,Rheumatoid arthritis ,Family medicine ,Antirheumatic Agents ,Practice Guidelines as Topic ,Diffusion of Innovation ,Rheumatologists ,business ,Specialist Physician ,Specialization - Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is expected to increase in Africa and South Africa. Due to the low numbers of rheumatologists in South Africa, specialist physicians also have to care for patients with RA. Furthermore several new developments have taken place in recent years which improved the management and outcome of RA. Classification criteria were updated, assessment follow-up tools were refined and above all, several new biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were developed. Therefore it is imperative for specialist physicians to update themselves with the newest developments in the management of RA. This article provides an overview of the newest developments in the management of RA in the South African context. This approach may well apply to countries with similar specialist to patient ratios and disease profiles.
- Published
- 2015