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.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

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.

Arthritis comes in different forms. If you merely suffer from joint pains, what you may have is not necessarily rheumatoid arthritis. But it is always best to have it checked so that the symptoms can be properly addressed.

2. There seems to be some thickening in the lining of your joints. When the pain on your joints has waned, but the affected area doesn't feel like the way it did before the condition started, you should go see a health care specialist right away. You never know, the pain may be away, but you might already be developing actual and recurring rheumatoid arthritis. It could just be resting until its next attack.

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.

Tests Done To Identify 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. Get a Latex Test. Latex tests help identify rheumatoid arthritis specifically by seeking the presence of the rheumatoid factor in the blood. It is the body's natural response to produce a substance called the rheumatoid factor whenever inflammations occur in the joint linings and the joints. Confirmation of this substance in the patient's blood means that he or she does have rheumatoid arthritis and needs to be treated.

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.