Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of arthritis that causes interminable irritation and inflammation of the joints and the surrounding tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis is also known to cause inflammation of the other organs of the body. Since this form of arthritis is autoimmune, it is defined by the characteristic that the progression of the disease occurs because the tissues in the body are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system. Rheumatic arthritis symptoms include a lack of appetite, fatigue, mild fever, muscle and joint aches coupled with stiffness. The stiffness of muscles and joints is usually most prominent in the mornings and after prolonged inactive periods. Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis starts with a visit to the rheumatologist who will chalk out the entire treatment schedule of the patient.

The doctor will usually ask for the medical history of the patient. The next important step would be to identify the typical symptoms of this disease, examine the joints for any possible deformity, examine the skin for rheumatoid nodules, and perform a bodily check up for signs of inflammation. The swelling of joints is an important indicator for that affects the diagnosis. Typical rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis starts with identifying any symmetric type of soreness and irritation the small joints of the wrists, hands, feet, and knees. When only one or two joints are reddened or swollen, the diagnosis becomes more complicated and it may become necessary to rule out arthritis due to infection or gout.

A rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis is strongly supported by the presence of abnormal antibodies known as ‘rheumatoid factor’ in the blood of patients. Some other antibodies that may be seen in patients include citrulline, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide and anti-CCP. The presence of another antibody called ‘the antinuclear antibody ‘or the ANA is also a strong indicator that signifies the presence of this disease.

A blood test known as the sedimentation rate is an evaluator of how fast red blood cells fall to the bottom of a test tube and this test is used as a basic gauge to determine the inflammation of the joints. Another type of blood test that is used to compute the amount of inflammation present in the body is the C-reactive protein. The rheumatoid factor, sed rate, ANA, along with C-reactive protein tests alone are not conclusive of the fact that a patient has developed rheumatoid arthritis since healthy people are also known to have abnormal levels of each of these factors. Joint X-rays are also useful in examining the development of disease and the extent of damage to the joints.  Bone scanning is a radioactive test procedure that demonstrates the extent of inflammation of the joints.

A procedure called arthrocentesis is one of the latest techniques of determining the presence of such a disease. In this method, a disinfected needle and syringe are used to drain the fluid of the joints. Analysis of the joint fluid can help to rule out other causes of arthritis like infection and gout. In rare cases, cortisone medications are introduced in the joints during the arthrocentesis procedure to allow for a rapid relief from joint inflammation and other such symptoms.