Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic joint disease that has been recognized since the 18th century. However, it was not until 1858 that Garrod first used the term “rheumatoid arthritis” to describe a group of deformed arthritis that differed from “rheumatism”. Since then, the term rheumatoid arthritis has been gradually adopted. The disease is widespread throughout the world and can affect all races. The prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis ranges from 22-60 per 100,000, with prevalence rates as high as 5% among the Pima, Chippewa and Yakima tribes of North American Indians. In Finland, the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis is 2%. No exact figures are available for the prevalence in China. There is no satisfactory explanation for such different prevalence rates. Most rheumatoid arthritis is progressive. In addition to causing pain, swelling, joint deformities, and osteoporosis in the patient’s joints, heart, lung, and blood system damage can occur. In the past, it was called the “undead cancer” because of the difficulty of treatment and the suffering of patients. Is rheumatoid arthritis really incurable? The answer is no. Looking at the development of rheumatoid arthritis treatment, it is easy to see that in the past 20 years, research on the disease has undergone a historic change. The concept of treatment has evolved from diagnosing the disease, relieving symptoms and alleviating patient suffering to early diagnosis, inhibiting disease progression and completely curing the disease. In addition to the traditional rheumatoid factor, a variety of autoantibodies have been discovered in recent years that have implications for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and even for the study of its etiology. Anti-cyclic guanosine polypeptide antibody is a newly discovered antibody with diagnostic significance for rheumatoid arthritis. It has a specificity of 96% and a sensitivity of 76%. Its specificity is significantly higher than that of rheumatoid factor, which can be used for the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and has the potential to become a marker antibody for rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-keratin antibody is an antibody detected by indirect immunofluorescence method using rat esophageal epithelium as substrate. The anti-keratin antibody has a sensitivity of 33% and a specificity of 87% to 95% for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-keratin antibodies are associated with the activity and severity of rheumatoid arthritis and can appear early in the course of rheumatoid arthritis or even before clinical manifestations. When “healthy” individuals with positive antibodies are followed up, they almost always develop classic rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, it is important for the early diagnosis and prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The principles of treatment for this disease should include four aspects: (1), early treatment. Early application of slow-acting antirheumatic drugs (SAARDs) or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to control the progression of rheumatoid arthritis lesions. (2),, Combination of drugs. The combination of several slow-acting antirheumatic drugs can inhibit different aspects of immune or inflammatory damage to produce better therapeutic effects. (3), program individualization. Should be selected according to the characteristics of the patient’s condition, the response to drugs and side effects, such as individualized treatment plan. (4), functional exercise. Along with systemic treatment, functional activities of the joints should be emphasized. The application of immune and biological agents has given new wings to the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Immunotherapy and biologic therapy include: (1), target molecular immunotherapy against cell surface molecules, and cytokines, such as Enbrel, IL1 receptor antagonists, etc. (2) Immunopurification therapies that aim at removing abnormal immunoglobulins and immune cells from plasma, such as plasma exchange, immunosorbent and de-lymphocyte therapy, etc. (3), stem cell transplantation with the main purpose of immune reconstitution. These methods targeted to interfere with the major aspects of rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis and lesion progression may have better application prospects. In recent years, with the correct use of slow-acting antirheumatic drugs and the emergence of new therapies, the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis has improved significantly. With early diagnosis and regular treatment, patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be well controlled or even completely cured.