This text is born of the author's career-long interest in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In preparing a text that would be of interest to primary care physicians and rheumatologist alike, the authors have decided to focus on the exciting developments that have given rise to the edict "diagnose early and treat aggressively." Hence, this text is not only an overview of RA, but where applicable, it will focus on "early" RA, early diagnosis, rules for referral,...