Rheumatoid Arthritis (ABIM Review)

Evidence at the Bedside · Sep 2, 2026 · 42m

Welcome back to the Evidence at the Bedside ABIM Edition! In this episode, we tackle Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), a systemic autoimmune disease typically characterized by chronic inflammatory polyarthritis affecting both small and large joints. We dive deep into the pathophysiology, exploring how genes account for 60% of the risk and why smoking is an important, modifiable synergistic environmental factor. Join us as we review the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria, focusing on why anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies are critical, boasting a specificity of 95%. We also break…