Rheumatoid Arthritis

Diagnosis

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and will examine you. You also may be sent for a blood test. An abnormal antibody, called the rheumatoid factor (RF), is found in the blood of 70% to 80% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. However, having RF does not necessarily mean you have rheumatoid arthritis. Many people who do not have rheumatoid arthritis can have RF appear in their blood. Other blood tests may be done to look for other causes of joint pain, anemia and to check if the kidneys and liver are working normally.

You may hear about a checklist of symptoms (called criteria) for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis. Although many physicians use this checklist as a guide, it is important to know that some patients with rheumatoid arthritis do not have many of the symptoms on the list, especially if their disease is mild. The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis relies mostly on the experience and judgment of the doctor, and is based on the "big picture" of symptoms, examination and test results.

Expected Duration

Most people with rheumatoid arthritis have chronic (long-lasting) symptoms. They experience periods when symptoms get worse, called flare-ups, and periods when symptoms improve. Rarely, symptoms and signs of the disease disappear, called a remission.