Therapeutic requirements in rheumatoid arthritis

Summary Therapeutic requirements ere deter 256 patients with rheumatol a ritis (RA) attending theRheumatic Diseases Unit in Cape Town. Two-thirds of thepatients had received or were receiving physiotherapy andhalf occupational therapy. Antidepressants had been takenby 24,2%, and 31,3% had received tranquillisers. All thepatients had received non-steroidalanti-inflammatorydrugsand 84 (32,8%) oral corticosteroids. One hundred and eighty­two patients (71,1%) had received oneor more intra-articularor intralesional corticosteroid injections. A remiUive agent orimmunomoduiatory drug had been prescribed to 163 patients (63,7%). Half the patients had undergone one or more surgicalprocedures for their·RA. The outcome of management wasfavourable in the majority of patients, 78,1% having little or nofunctional disability.The management of patients with RA requires a team effortinvolving many different health professionals, and patientsoften require multiple drugs for the control of their disease.The role of a multidisciplinary team in the management ofrheumatoid arthritis (RA) is well recognised.