“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder which is characterised by synovial inflammation and joint destruction, as well as extraarticular manifestations”. A crucial part of the pathophysiology of this synovial inflammation is played by cytokines. One of the predominant cytokines is tumour necrosis factor a (TNFa). In conclusion, it can be said that for patients with early RA, a combination of intra-articular steroids and DMARDs is substantially more effective at controlling disease activity than DMARDs alone.