This program provides a detailed look at how rheumatoid arthritis appears, progresses, and responds to treatment. It also features case studies that demonstrate the potential dangers of RA while outlining new therapies that have noticeably reduced the effects of the disease. Helpful animation sequences shed light on how rheumatoid arthritis attacks a joint’s synovial membrane, while Dr. Salahuddin Kazi of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Dr. Kathryn Hobbs of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center explain the RA diagnostic process—including anti-CCP blood testing—and the importance of “biologics” that battle tumor necrosis factor. (28 minutes)