What Tests Are Used To Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis?
What Tests Are Used To Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis?
What Tests Are Used To Diagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Several tests are typically used to determine whether your
symptoms are caused by RA.
More
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE MORE than 100 conditions that fall under the
umbrella term "arthritis," an autoimmune disease called rheumatoid arthritis is
one of the more common. According to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 1.5
million Americans have the condition, which causes swelling, pain and
stiffness in certain joints which can lead to lasting damage of those joints.
Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can be disabling and debilitating.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system attacks its own healthy cells
inside certain joints, leading to an inflammatory response. This typically shows
up as:
"Over time, if that inflammation goes unchecked, it does what it's supposed to
do, which is destroy stuff," says Dr. David Pugliese, a rheumatologist
at Geisinger in Danville, Pennsylvania. "But it also starts destroying the joint,
and in time it can turn into a structural problem because the joint and tendons
can get damaged," leading to deformities and loss of range of motion or
function.
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But an accurate diagnosis is possible, and your doctor will likely apply a range
of tests and exams to sort out what's causing your symptoms. "There are
some nuances here and there that can help you distinguish between one and
another," Madhoun says.
Physical Exam
First, your doctor will likely perform an extensive physical exam. This will
include careful observation of your affected joints to check for:
Swelling.
Redness.
Warmth.
Reflexes.
Muscle strength.
Your doctor will also ask for a careful recounting of when and how symptoms
began and whether you've had any flare ups or improvement of symptoms
over that time. All of this information can provide clues as to what condition
you may be facing.
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Family History
In addition to carefully examining you, your doctor will ask lots of questions
about your family's medical history, because "genes certainly do play a role in
patients developing rheumatoid arthritis," Madhoun says. Dr. Esther Lipstein-
Kresch, chief of rheumatology at ProHEALTH Care in New York agrees:
"There's definitely a genetic component. There are some genes that have
been identified that give people an increased risk for the development of
rheumatoid arthritis." If you have a close relative such as a parent, sibling or
child who has rheumatoid arthritis, that may increase your risk of developing
the disease, too.
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Blood Tests
Once the physical exam and the family history have been completed, you'll
likely have blood drawn to look for certain markers that can signify whether
inflammation is present. As Pugliese notes, because "the starting point for RA
is an autoimmune or inflammatory problem," many of these tests look for
signs of inflammation in the body. Not all of these tests are specific for
rheumatoid arthritis, as other autoimmune diseases may also produce similar
elevations of inflammatory markers, so bloodwork results should be
considered in the context of family history, imaging studies and a thorough
physical exam.
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Many patients also undergo imaging tests so that their doctor can get a closer
look at what's going on inside the joints. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Support
Network reports that imaging tests can "help identify signs and progression of
RA. These tests essentially look inside the patient's body so that doctors and
other specialists may assess the joint damage as well as detect and interpret
specific abnormalities."