[New criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis]

In September 2010, new criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were published, with the intention of allowing an early diagnosis of the disease. These new criteria are targeted to an earlier form of RA than allowed by the criteria that had been used up to that point. In this review we comment the methodology used for the creation of the new classification criteria, its advantages with respect to the older ones, its shortcomings and the consequences their application will have.