autoimmune disease blog

It is not easy to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, in the early stage. There is no single test that can clearly identify rheumatoid arthritis. Therefor doctors must diagnose rheumatoid arthritis based on factors that are clearly related with the disease. The American College of Rheumatology uses these criteria to diagnose: Swollen area in the wrist or hand, or finger joints, Morning stiffness in the joints for at least one hour, swelling around three or more joints at the same time, X-ray changes in the wrists and hands and typical of rheumatoid arthritis,  arthritis affecting symmetrical joint on both sides of the body and  high level of rheumatoid factor in the blood.

Rheumatoid arthritis is strongly diagnosed if four or more of these factors are present. The first four factors commonly appear for at least six weeks.

There are various tests to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. Below are the 9 types of test that commonly in rheumatoid arthritis diagnosing:

1. Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate Test. An erythrocyte sedimentation rate (sed rate) measures how fast red blood cells or erythrocytes fall to the bottom of a fine glass tube that is filled with the patient’s blood. The higher the sed rate the greater the inflammation. The sed rate can be high in many conditions ranging from infection to inflammation to tumors. The test is used to help determine how active the condition is.
2. Rheumatoid Factor. In rheumatoid arthritis, antibodies that collect in the synovium of the joint are known as rheumatoid factor. In about 80% of cases of rheumatoid arthritis, blood tests reveal rheumatoid factor. When it appears in patients with arthritic pain on both sides of the body, it is a strong indicator of type 2 of rheumatoid arthritis.
3. C-Reactive Protein. High levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) are also indicators of active inflammation. However, because obesity also increases CRP levels, the doctor should consider a patient ‘ s body mass index when evaluating CRP levels during rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.
4. Anti-CCP Antibody Test. The presence of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptides (CCP) can identify rheumatoid arthritis years before symptoms develop. In combination with the test for rheumatoid factor, the CCP antibody test is the best predictor of which patients will go on to develop severe rheumatoid arthritis.
5. X-Rays. X-rays generally have not been helpful to detect the presence of early rheumatoid arthritis because they cannot show images of soft tissue.
6. Dexa Scans. The use of a technique known as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, however, may be useful in detecting early bone loss in rheumatoid. Evidence of damage on x-rays along with elevated rheumatoid factor is a significant predictor for progressive joint destruction.
7. Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Specially designed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment called extremity MRI may be able detect bone erosions in the hands of rheumatoid arthritis patients where x-rays cannot. Further evaluation is necessary.
8. Ultrasound. Special ultrasound techniques called power Doppler ultrasonography (PDUS) or quantitative ultrasound (QUS) may be helpful in rheumatoid arthritis. PDUS may be reliable for monitoring inflammatory activity in the joint. QUS, which is used for osteoporosis, can detect bone loss in fingers, which may prove to be a good indicator of early rheumatoid arthritis.