Rheumatoid factor testing is not used as a screening test for rheumatoid arthritis in patients without symptoms.

Morning stiffness for 30 minutes or longer.

Joint symptoms, including pain, swelling.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include: When should I get rheumatoid factor testing?Ī doctor may recommend a rheumatoid factor test if a patient is experiencing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers believe that rheumatoid factors may be the result of the body’s response to pathogens, like bacteria or viruses, and other triggers that confuse the immune system. The development of RF and how it affects the body is not well understood. Antibody titer tests detect how much of a specific type of antibody is present in the blood.

There are several ways to measure RF, one of which is an antibody titer test. Rheumatoid factor testing measures the amount of the rheumatoid factor in the blood. Patients with higher levels of RF are more likely to have severe rheumatoid arthritis, as well as disease that affects parts of the body outside of the joints, such as the lungs and blood vessels.Īlthough treatment for rheumatoid arthritis may lower the amount of rheumatoid factor in the blood, repeated testing for RF is not typically used to monitor patients during treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

Estimating disease severity: Rheumatoid factor testing can also provide doctors with information about the severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

For example, a patient’s doctor may recommend a test for rheumatoid factor if a patient is experiencing pain and inflammation in multiple joints that isn’t due to another condition.

Diagnosing autoimmune disorders: Diagnostic testing may be appropriate for patients with symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, or another autoimmune disorder.

An RF test can help doctors diagnose autoimmune disorders and estimate disease severity: While some healthy people have detectable RF, a positive result on an RF test can also indicate an underlying health condition and may warrant additional diagnostic testing in patients with other signs or symptoms of an autoimmune disorder.

The purpose of testing for rheumatoid factor is to determine if a patient has RF in their blood.

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