Why ra factor test

Rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult to diagnose because many conditions cause joint stiffness and inflammation and there's no definitive test for the condition.

A GP will do a physical examination, checking your joints for any swelling and to assess how easily they move. The GP will also ask you about your symptoms. It's important to tell the GP about all your symptoms, not just ones you think are important, as this will help them make the correct diagnosis. If the GP thinks you have rheumatoid arthritis, they'll refer you to a specialist rheumatologist.

The GP may arrange blood tests to help confirm the diagnosis. No blood test can definitively prove or rule out a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, but several tests can show indications of the condition. What Patients Need to Know.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet Patient Stories. Subscribe to CreakyJoints for more related content. About CreakyJoints CreakyJoints is a digital community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, advocacy, and patient-centered research.

Our Resources ghlf. Stay Connected. The contents of this website are for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

All rights reserved. Part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation, a c 3 non-profit organization. As with rheumatoid factor, some people with positive anti-CCP antibody will not have RA, but this test is somewhat more specific for RA than the rheumatoid factor.

Once a patient develops a positive anti-CCP, it will usually remain positive, despite remission. In these cases, the physician makes the diagnosis based on physical examination and imaging. RF and anti-CCP are not used to monitor disease activity, because they both tend to remain positive despite remission. Once the diagnosis of RA has been made and confirmed, these tests are not repeated.

Sedimentation rate also known as erythrocyte sedimentation rate or ESR , is a crude measure of inflammation. It is calculated by measuring the rate at which red blood cells sediment in a test tube in one hour. The ESR rate is not specific for RA, and there are many factors that can interfere with the results, such as bad processing, an infection, and aging in patients over the age of C-reactive protein is another measure of clinical inflammation.

The normal measurement is less than 1. This test, however, can be influenced by factors such as obesity and infection and is not specific to RA. A higher level of rheumatoid factor in your blood is closely associated with autoimmune disease, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. But a number of other diseases and conditions can raise rheumatoid factor levels, including:.

Some healthy people — particularly older individuals — have positive rheumatoid factor tests, though it's not clear why. And some people who have rheumatoid arthritis will have low levels of rheumatoid factor in their blood.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Sections for Rheumatoid factor About. Overview A rheumatoid factor test measures the amount of rheumatoid factor in your blood.