Updated classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. The standard international criteria for classifying rheumatoid arthritis, created in 1987, rely on symptoms of chronic erosive disease, or disease that's already well established. In an effort to identify and study patients who could benefit from early treatment, members of the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism collaborated to develop a new approach that allows for earlier identification of the disease. The 2010 criteria are available online at http://bit.ly/9MVT3V.