Rheumatoid Arthritis also referred to simply as RA is an illness which causes pain, stiffness and inflammation in the joints. It also causes the joints to deteriorate making the person to loose their mobility. This is a chronic autoimmune disease which means that the very cells in the body which have to fight foreign bodies like viruses and germs will in fact begin to attack the healthy tissues. Unlike osteoarthritis, in rheumatoid arthritis many of the joints get affected like hands, wrists, knees, elbows, hips, shoulders, and even feet. Symptoms like pain, inflammation, and swelling of the joints, fatigue and fever do not   help rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis especially in the early stages by the doctor or physician as many of these symptoms are also experienced by patients of osteoarthritis and similar diseases which affect the joints. It is only through the help of laboratory tests and other non laboratory tests like MRI Scans, X-Rays and Ultrasound tests that rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis can be confirmed.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an illness that can affect anybody at any age but normally it begins to develop only between he ages of 30 and 50 it has been found that more than 75% of the people who are affected with rheumatoid arthritis are women. For Rheuamotid arthritis diagnosis, it is important that laboratory tests be done as many other diseases which affect the joints also have similar symptoms.  There is no single test which can be done to diagnose this disease. It is only through clinical evaluation and with the help of tests which are made in the laboratory and outside the laboratory that can help in Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis.

Some of the laboratory tests that are done for Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis are Rheumatoid facto Test, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate test, C-reactive protein test or CRP test, CCP or Cyclic citrullinated peptide Antibody test, Complete Blood count Test or CBC, Comprehensive  Metabolic Panel Tests. The erythrocyte sedimentation tests helps to show the extent to which the disease is active in the body and the presence of inflammation. The cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody test helps to diagnose the disease in the early stages in patients and also in patients who have earlier tested negative for Rheumatoid arthritis.
As for the non laboratory tests like X-rays, MRI Scans, and Ultrasound tests which are conducted, the tests will help evaluate the changes in the disease and the extent of joint damage. The test results of all these tests will help the doctor in Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.