Rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP antibodiesĪbout half of all people with rheumatoid arthritis have rheumatoid factor in their blood when the condition starts. This may mean you have anaemia (an-ee-me-er) and is common in people with RA, although having anaemia doesn't prove you have RA. These carry iron around your body, and a low number of red blood cells means you have a low iron content. Full blood countĪ full blood count measures the number of red blood cells you have. If there is more CRP than usual, you may have inflammation in your body. It does this by checking how much CRP there is in your blood. This test can show if there is inflammation in your body. Rheumatoid arthritis is just one possible cause. If the cells sink faster than usual, you may have levels of inflammation that are higher than normal. The cells are timed to see how long they take to get to the bottom of the tube.
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)Ī sample of your red blood cells are put into a test tube of liquid. Some of the main tests are outlined below. However, there are a few tests that can show possible signs of the condition. There's no single blood test that can confirm you have rheumatoid arthritis.
