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VIDEO: How to Switch to More Aggressive RA Treatment
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WASHINGTON — At the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, Joel Kremer, MD, a professor of medicine at Albany Medical College, discussed his study that showed how patients with poor prognostic factors for rheumatoid arthritis are no more likely to receive aggressive treatment. He also discussed how to help patients who are resistant to the idea of switching to more aggressive treatment.
Kremer said patients with poor prognostic factors — such as rheumatoid factor positivity, erosions on radiographs at baseline or have failed prior interventions — should be treated more aggressively because they are more likely to be disabled and have a poor quality of life. To treat patients more aggressively, he said clinicians must deconstruct patient fears by explaining how they could have better outcomes on a different treatment and by detailing the low risks for side effects.