How do you Know if you have Rheumatoid Athritis?

By Flor Serquina - 2007-09-21 - Viewed 1985 times. Find more articles like this in our Arthritis and Rheumatism category.

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Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that is highly chronic in nature. This disease causes the body's immune system to attack the joints.

When rheumatoid arthritis strikes, then the result would be an almost permanent pain in the affected area. And if this disease is not addressed accordingly, it becomes possible that its patient would suffer from lasting joint damages and eventual loss of their mobility functions. In other words, people with rheumatoid arthritis may become disabled.

Knowing The Signs And Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

It is important that rheumatoid arthritis is identified and diagnosed at the onset. If you think you have it, take a look at these signs and symptoms and compare them with yours.

1. Swelling, pain, stiffness, redness, and a warm sensation on the joints.

There are a lot of joints in the body. Following that concept, rheumatoid arthritis can possibly strike anywhere. If you feel any chronic pain on any part of your body, more particularly in the knees, neck, and shoulders, it is possible you have arthritis. Chronic pain means that the pain recurs from time to time.

There are various forms of arthritis. The pain you are feeling doesn't necessarily mean that you already have the condition. However, it would still be best to see a doctor just to be sure.

2. Thickening of the joint's lining.

Anytime that you feel the swelling in the joints had subsided but the area doesn't seem to be the same as it used to be, there is a high chance that the lining around the joints have already thickened. If you do have this condition, then you might just have rheumatoid arthritis. It should also be the time you go to a health care specialist for a more accurate diagnosis.

3. Your motor skills have gone haywire.

When the pains become too excruciating that you find yourself unable to move the way you normally would, it could be a sign of higher-stage rheumatoid arthritis. Your doctor will prescribe you the appropriate medications to help you deal with the condition.

Diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are different ways to test if a person definitely has rheumatoid arthritis. Here are some of the more popular methods doctors and professional health care practitioners use to confirm its presence.

1. The most basic test doctors conduct to identify rheumatoid arthritis is via X-ray.

This is usually the first test you are asked to undergo because it gives an overall view of the internal body. It is not able to confirm a hundred percent if rheumatoid arthritis is present, but it helps rule out other possible ailments. X-rays are also helpful in finding out the degree of the condition and at what stage it is progressing into.

2. Latex test. The latex test is the procedure used to specifically diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. This diagnostic process examines the blood and checks it for antibody known as the rheumatoid factor. Whenever there's an inflammation on the joints and its lining, the body reacts by secreting this type of antibody. Once the rheumatoid factor is detected in the blood, then there would be no doubt that the patient has rheumatoid arthritis.

3. Once rheumatoid arthritis has been confirmed, the doctor will immediately conduct a series of other tests to find out the Sedimentation Rate of the blood.

This is done through the extraction of a blood sample, which is left to settle for a while before examined. Finding blood that has a high sedimentation rate means the inflammation is active and growing.

These are the ways on how doctors perform diagnosis tests for rheumatoid arthritis among their patients. But it is still your responsibility to monitor your body's processes so that treating the disease becomes a lot easier. And at times, preventing the disease becomes possible even.

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