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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIn addition to the physical exam, your doctor might order imaging and laboratory tests to help determine the cause of your signs and symptoms. Rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages because its early signs and symptoms mimic those of many other diseases. And no one test or physical finding confirms the diagnosis.
Blood tests
People with rheumatoid arthritis tend to have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, or sed rate), which indicates the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Other common blood tests look for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies.
X-rays
Your doctor may recommend X-rays to help track the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in your joints over time.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/ra.asp?aud=pat. Accessed Aug. 25, 2009.
- O'Dell JR. Rheumatoid arthritis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/156141423-3/0/1492/1022.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50290-1_12843. Accessed Aug. 25, 2009.
- Handout on health: Rheumatoid arthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Rheumatic_Disease/default.asp. Accessed Aug. 25, 2009.
- Hunder GG. Mayo Clinic Straight Talk on Arthritis. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2006.
- Rheumatoid arthritis and complementary and alternative medicine. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/RA/. Accessed Aug. 26, 2009.
