How DMARDs Work to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

In this video, rheumatologist Saakshi Khattri, MD, explains how DMARDS, or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, work to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

Written by Brittany Doohan | Reviewed by Alexandra Schwarz, MD

Updated on March 28, 2024

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When your rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is acting up, you do your best to feel better by avoiding RA flare triggers and making RA-friendly lifestyle changes. While self-management and care is important, it’s also important to get your RA treated by a medical professional. The longer RA goes untreated, the more damage occurs to the joints.

Recent treatment options have allowed doctors and patients to control RA better and significantly slow the progression of the disease. One group of medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis is called DMARDs.

Additional Medical Contributors

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• Saakshi Khattri, MDSaakshi Khattri, MD, is a rheumatologist and associate professor at the Department of Rheumatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

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References

Cohen, S., et al. (2022). Patient education: Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in rheumatoid arthritis (beyond the basics). UpToDate.

Michaud, K. (2022). Patient education: Rheumatoid arthritis treatment (beyond the basics). UpToDate.

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