Is There A Blood Test For Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common inflammatory form of arthritis. It affects roughly 2 million Americans. It is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disorder for which there is no known cure. However, there are very effective medicine regimens that can control the disease and get it into remission.
The major reason, RA is not put into remission more often is the lack of a precise diagnosis. While there are many criteria that can point towards the diagnosis, it is often difficult early on to make sure a given person has the disease.
Multiple criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology can suggest the probability of RA. These include:
0 Morning stiffness lasting more than one hour
0 Simultaneous arthritis affecting three or more joints
0 Arthritis affecting the knuckles (metacarpophalangeal joints) and close in finger joints (proximal interphalangeal joints)
0 Symmetric arthritis
0 Rheumatoid nodules
0 Positive test for rheumatoid factor in the blood
0 X-ray changes.
These criteria were formulated in the late 19800s and things have changed quite a bit.
First, x-ray changes are late and these cannot and should not be used to establish an initial diagnosis. Both magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound are much more sensitive.They are also more sensitive to subtle changes.
Secondly, the use of […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles