Your doctor will also do a blood test for anemia and an elevated "sed rate" (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), which can confirm the amount of inflammation in the joints.
X-rays, MRIs and ultrasounds won't show any changes in the first 3-6 months of the disease. They can be used later, however, to track changes in the joints.
A physical exam is also part of the screening process, looking for, among other symptoms, a joint swelling and inflammation, their location and bumps and nodules.
2. I've been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. What's my next step?
"The most important thing is to start treatment," Dr. Hahn says.
If you start a treatment program as soon as you're diagnosed, you're less likely to need surgery – for example, joint replacement – in the future, says Leslie Crofford, M.D., chief of rheumatology and director of the Center for the Advancement of Women's Health at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
3. What's the treatment?
The latest RA medications are disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), such as methotrexate, and biologics, which are administered by injection.
DMARDs slow or stop joint destruction over time. Biologics – newer medications that are derived from living substances – act directly on the immune system, inhibiting proteins that contribute to inflammation.
"Most of the time, we start a patient with RA right away on a medication like methotrexate," Dr. Crofford says.
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