Rheumatoid analysis: what is it? What justifications exist for using it? What is the interpretation of the consequences of it? The following article contains all of this information and more.
Autoimmune diseases, which affect a large number of people, are illnesses brought on by the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy cells and organs of the body for reasons that are still unknown. During this attack, the immune system produces a large number of antibodies (antibodies) to attack these cells.
One of the most important antibodies it produces is rheumatoid factor, which is a type of protein whose elevation in the body indicates the occurrence of a basic problem resulting from hyperimmune autoimmunity, so rheumatoid analysis is one of the tests that doctors use to diagnose and confirm the presence of immune diseases, known as Learn more here:
Rheumatoid analysis
Blood is drawn from a vein on the inner side of the elbow or the inner or back of the hand for a rheumatoid analysis. Young children or infants' skin is pierced using a sharp lancet (Lancet). The blood is then put into a glass test tube for collection. for analysis in the laboratory.
Rheumatoid analysis doesn't require any pre-examination steps or preparations; the only discomfort you might experience is a mild stinging pain when the needle is inserted. After the needle is removed, you might also experience a mild throbbing pain at the injection site.
Indications for rheumatoid arthritis
If a physician has a suspicion that a patient has rheumatoid arthritis, which has the following symptoms:
- Low grade fever.
- Extreme tiredness and fatigue.
- Weight loss .
- Feeling of numbness or tingling in the hands.
- muscle pain;
- A feeling of stiffness in the joints, especially in the early morning.
The fingers and toes are frequently affected by rheumatoid arthritis, and the shoulders and knees may also be impacted. If not treated, it can affect the patient’s daily life, cause difficulty walking or using the hands, and may cause deformities in the joint as well, so it is important to start treatment early.
Sometimes it can be difficult to judge the symptoms of arthritis if they have rheumatoid origin or another type of arthritis, so a rheumatoid analysis helps to differentiate between them.
Interpretation of rheumatoid arthritis results
The following details can be used to explain the outcomes:
1. Corollary
The rheumatoid analysis results are presented in one of two formats: either as a value, where the normal value is less than 15 international units/milliliter, or as a standard, where the normal value is less than 1:80, or 1 to 80. If the result falls within the range of normal values, the patient might not have arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis or Sjogren's syndrome
2. Positive outcome
If the result is higher than that, the result is considered positive, and may indicate the following:
- Having rheumatoid arthritis.
- having lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, scleroderma, or another autoimmune disease.
- the existence of an infection, such as tuberculosis or infectious mononucleosis.
- the existence of specific cancers, like leukaemia or multiple myeloma.
We would like to point out that there are patients who already have rheumatoid arthritis, but their rheumatoid analysis is negative or they have small quantities. In order to confirm or rule out the diagnosis, the doctor may still order additional tests even if the test results are normal.
Additionally, as some people have an elevated rheumatoid factor for no apparent reason, positive and abnormal results do not necessarily indicate the existence of a medical condition that needs to be treated.
3. Additional tests in the event of a favourable outcome
Other tests that the doctor may order to confirm the diagnosis, in addition to rheumatoid analysis, include the following:
- Anti-nuclear antibody test.
- Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies.
- C-reactive protein assay.
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate.