Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis: What You Need To Know

Chronic bone tissue inflammation is one of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. It happens when the immune system goes out of kilter and mistakenly attacks the joints. The affected area is then subjected to intense pain that is almost always permanent. If rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are left alone and untreated, the problem could become worse and result in the loss of mobility. This means that anybody suffering from the condition could become disabled for life.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

This is the main reason why rheumatoid arthritis has to be diagnosed on its early stages. For people who are suffering from it, the following symptoms would normally show:

1. Swelling, pain, stiffness, redness, and a warm sensation on the joints. There are a lot of joints in the body. Following that concept, rheumatoid arthritis can possibly strike anywhere. If you feel any chronic pain on any part of your body, more particularly in the knees, neck, and shoulders, it is possible you have arthritis. Chronic pain means that the pain recurs from time to time.

Arthritis comes in different forms. If you merely suffer from joint pains, what you may have is not necessarily rheumatoid arthritis. But it is always best to have it checked so that the symptoms can be properly addressed.

2. Thickening of the joint’s lining. Anytime that you feel the swelling in the joints had subsided but the area doesn’t seem to be the same as it used to be, there is a high chance that the lining around the joints have already thickened. If you do have this condition, then you might just have rheumatoid arthritis. It should also be the time you go to a health care specialist for a more accurate diagnosis.

3. You find it difficult to coordinate your movements. Rheumatoid arthritis gone bad comes with an intense pain that would leave you immobile at times. You will be given the appropriate medications and therapy exercises to help alleviate it.

Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

To diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, the doctor would need to perform a series of test on the patient. Here are the different methods that a health professional would use to determine if a patient does have rheumatoid arthritis.

1. The most basic test doctors conduct to identify rheumatoid arthritis is via X-ray. This is usually the first test you are asked to undergo because it gives an overall view of the internal body. It is not able to confirm a hundred percent if rheumatoid arthritis is present, but it helps rule out other possible ailments. X-rays are also helpful in finding out the degree of the condition and at what stage it is progressing into.

2. Get a Latex Test. Latex tests help identify rheumatoid arthritis specifically by seeking the presence of the rheumatoid factor in the blood. It is the body’s natural response to produce a substance called the rheumatoid factor whenever inflammations occur in the joint linings and the joints. Confirmation of this substance in the patient’s blood means that he or she does have rheumatoid arthritis and needs to be treated.

3. Sedimentation Rate Testing. After the doctor has rightfully determined that their patients are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, then the next thing they need to find out would be the blood’s sedimentation rate. To do this test, a blood sample is drawn and is made to settle for some time. If the sedimentation rate is high, then it means that the patient is suffering from an active type of inflammation.

These are the ways on how doctors perform diagnosis tests for rheumatoid arthritis among their patients. But it is still your responsibility to monitor your body’s processes so that treating the disease becomes a lot easier. And at times, preventing the disease becomes even possible.