Corticosteroids - Corticosteroids are medications that contain hormones to treat rheumatic diseases. These medications, such as prednisone, can be taken orally or as an injection. These medications treat rheumatic diseases by suppressing overactivity of the immune system. Included in this group are methotrexate, azathioprine and cyclosporine. BRMs are a new class of drugs introduced in 1998 that work by specifically targeting chemicals in the immune system that affect inflammation and tissue damage.
Examples are etanercept and infliximab.
Weight loss in overweight people has shown to reduce the chance of developing certain types of rheumatic disease, including osteoarthritis. Stretching exercises may be helpful in keeping the joints flexible. Click here to view the Online Resources page of this Web.