CRP and rheumatoid arthritis: The disease progression and the therapeutic efficacy of RA treatment can be monitored using the disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS-28), which is calculated from (i) the number of painful joints (hands, arms, and knees); (ii) the number of swollen joints (hands, arms, and knees); (iii) the visual analogue scale of patients' assessment of their general health; (iv) the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in the first hour and/or the blood level of C-reactive protein to measure the degree of inflammation.