New Method of Diagnosing Arthritis Found

Doctors specializing in arthritic diseases recently announced amore advanced method for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis (RA)at an earlier stage, which increases the chances of controllingthe disease sooner.

Diagnosing RA usually involves observing the clinical manifestationsof the disease. A diagnostic test involving an enzymelinkedimmunosorbent assay was recently developed that allowsdetection of an important indicator of RA, anticyclic citrullinatedpeptide antibodies, at a preclinical stage.

Researchers say that the optimal time to treat RA is the first 2to 3 years from the onset of the disease. The new test is disease-specific,in that it can differentiate between RA and other types ofarthritis. This differentiation is important for the proper treatmentto be given.