Declining needs for total joint replacements for rheumatoid arthritis.

This millennium brings new views to rheumatology. Total joint replacement surgery is needed less often as active treatment strategies combined with availability of new medications has led to more effective rheumatoid arthritis control. This was beautifully shown in a recent issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy by a Swedish study that uses data from national registers and compares incidence rates for total hip and knee arthroplasties before and after the establishment of biologic agents use for rheumatoid arthritis.