Unlike diabetes or kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cannot be diagnosed with a simple blood test. Instead, the diagnosis often takes time and is based largely on what the doctor hears from you (the medical history) and observes in you (the physical exam).
During the medical history, your doctor will ask questions about specific joints as well as how you feel in general. Because findings from the medical history play a major role in the diagnosis, it’s important to give your doctor clear and accurate answers to questions, such as the following:
• Do you have pain in many joints? People with rheumatoid arthritis often have pain in several joints at once as opposed to just one.
• Do the same joints on both side of your body hurt at the same time? Symmetric pain is often as sign of rheumatoid arthritis. For example, if one wrist or knee is inflamed or painful, the other wrist or knee will likely be as well.
• When is the pain most severe? People with rheumatoid arthritis often feel worst when they first wake up, and then later in the day when fatigue sets in.
• Have you had periods of feeling weak and uncomfortable all over? Many people with rheumatoid arthritis notice generalized problems, such as muscle aches, fatigue, stiffness, weight loss and flu-like symptoms.
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