There has been a growing interest in identifying patients earlier in the course of RA because early intervention may be a more effective approach for slowing disease progression than waiting until later in the disease course. Preclinical RA can be defined retrospectively as the presence of serologic evidence of RA in the absence of clinical symptoms of RA. Currently, the most reliable screening tool to identify people at risk for RA is anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibody testing. Data from the Studies of the Etiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) have shown that patients with elevated anti-CCP antibodies (ACPAs) have a significant increased risk of developing RA at some point in the future. Individuals with preclinical RA also develop a broader spectrum of ACPAs, a phenomenon referred to as epitope spreading, which more closely anticipates the clinical onset of RA. Data from SERA and from other cohorts indicate that the the development of positive anti-CCP antibody titers may precede the onset of clinical disease by many, many years. This begs the question of how best to manage preclinical RA. We have some indications that, particularly related to the development of RA, encouraging a healthy lifestyle is appropriate. Data, including those from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, suggest that an inflammatory dietary pattern is associated with an increased risk of developing RA. We also know that cigarette smoking is a risk factor for the development of RA, so we can encourage our patients to adopt healthier diets and to stop smoking. In addition, the ongoing Strategy to Prevent the Onset of Clinically-Apparent Rheumatoid Arthritis (StopRA) trial is evaluating whether the use of hydroxychloroquine is safe and effective for the prevention of future-onset RA in individuals who have elevated ACPAs. We do not yet know how to intervene effectively, so, while widespread screening and treatment of populations at risk for developing clinical RA is not currently practical, we hope that future research will identify effective preventive strategies such that we will be able to screen appropriate individuals (eg, first-degree relatives of patients with RA) and to offer a safe and effective treatment regimen that prevents or slows disease onset.