Rheumatoid arthritis (RA),a systemic,inflammatory autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation of the lining or synovium of the joints,is a complex polygenic disease with a complicated inheritance mode.Both genetic and environmental factors determine the development and progression of RA.Study on susceptible genes of RA provides a theoretic basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.As a novel high-throughput screening method,genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a powerful approach for mapping susceptible genes of polygenic disease like RA.GWAS can not only verify the well-established susceptible loci,but also identify novel genetic loci candidates. Great improvement has been made in using GWAS to screen for novel genes,which casts new lights on the mechanism and treatment of RA.This review summarizes the progress in using GWAS for screening of RA susceptible genes.