[Immunotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis of joints]

The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is still unknown. Among the pathogenic mechanisms being discussed, the antigen recognition seems to be of great importance. Probably the "abnormal" interaction between the presented peptide of undefined nature with CD4 T-cell, triggers the pathological events. Immunosuppressive drugs, affecting antigen presentation, are in common use in the treatment of RA. We discuss the effects of alkylating agents, antimetabolites and other immunomodulatory procedures on the course of the disease.