类风湿性关节炎目前仍无特效根治疗法。根据美国国立健康统计中心过去十年间的调查,在美国约有360万成人患者。晚近估计大约增加到近500万人。他们可分为肯定和可疑类风湿性关节炎两类。其中大多数为自限性和无畸形的轻型患者,但有许多病变属持久性,侵袭性者需要内科处理。慢性滑膜炎症是类风湿性关节炎的主要特征,由于发病因素未明,因而各种疗法主要在于控制炎症反应。全身性皮质激素治疗指征、使用原则和禁忌症:(表1)在类风湿性关节炎治疗中,罕有需用全身性皮质激素治疗者。绝大多数,患者采取较为保守的措 Rheumatoid arthritis is still no effective radical cure. According to a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics over the past decade, there are about 3.6 million adult patients in the United States. Recent estimates have increased to nearly 5 million. They can be divided into two types of affirmative and suspicious rheumatoid arthritis. Most of them are self-limiting and deformity-free patients with light-weight disease, but many have persistent disease that requires invasive medical treatment. Chronic synovial inflammation is a major feature of rheumatoid arthritis, as the pathogenesis is unknown, and thus the various therapies are mainly to control the inflammatory response. Systemic corticosteroid therapy indications, the use of principles and contraindications: (Table 1) In the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, rarely required systemic corticosteroid treatment. The vast majority of patients to take more conservative measures