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Treatment to manage rheumatoid arthritis can be effective at slowing the progression of the disease, and you may have periods of time in which the disease is in remission. However, if you have joint destruction from rheumatoid arthritis, you may need treatment such as pain relief, physical therapy, and/or surgery.

The course of rheumatoid arthritis is difficult to predict, and some people respond to treatment better than others. Scientists are studying the role that a person's genes may play in disease progression.¹⁰