There are no blood tests that can diagnose OA; however, your doctor may order them to rule out other causes of joint pain and inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout. Joint fluid analysis. Fluid drawn from an affected joint can offer clues as to what is happening in the joint.
Although there's no blood test for osteoarthritis, certain tests can help rule out other causes of joint pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Blood tests
No blood test can definitively prove or rule out a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, but several tests can show indications of the condition. Some of the main blood tests used include: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – which can help assess levels of inflammation in the body.
X-rays of the affected joints are the main way osteoarthritis is identified. The common X-ray findings of osteoarthritis include loss of joint cartilage, narrowing of the joint space between adjacent bones, and bone spur formation.
The main treatments for the symptoms of osteoarthritis include: lifestyle measures – such as maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly. medication – to relieve your pain. supportive therapies – to help make everyday activities easier.
Inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1b, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, have major proinflammatory activity in OA and may contribute to activation of innervating nociceptors and increase of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.
Blood Tests
Antinuclear antibody (ANA) – Abnormal antibodies (blood proteins) can suggest the presence of lupus, polymyositis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease or rheumatoid arthritis.
Patients with knee osteoarthritis will experience the following symptoms: pain in the knee, freezing or stiffness in the joint, a loud clicking sound coming from the joint, pain when touching a certain area of the knee, or joint deformities, although each patient's combination of symptoms will be unique.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain.
Some people call it degenerative joint disease or “wear and tear” arthritis. It occurs most frequently in the hands, hips, and knees. With OA, the cartilage within a joint begins to break down and the underlying bone begins to change.
People with osteoarthritis usually have joint pain and, after rest or inactivity, stiffness for a short period of time. The most commonly affected joints include the: Hands (ends of the fingers and at the base and ends of the thumbs). Knees.
Joints can be at different stages of disease progression. Typical exam findings in OA include bony enlargement, crepitus, effusions (non-inflammatory), and a limited range of motions. Tenderness may be present at joint lines, and there may be pain upon passive motion.
The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and sometimes stiffness in the affected joints. The pain tends to be worse when you move the joint or at the end of the day. Your joints may feel stiff after rest, but this usually wears off fairly quickly once you get moving. Symptoms may vary for no obvious reason.
None of these tests is perfect. Sometimes false negative results occur when inflammation actually is present. False positive results may occur when abnormal test results suggest inflammation even when none is present.
Inflammatory markers are blood tests used by doctors to detect inflammation in the body, caused by many diseases. This can include infections, auto-immune conditions and cancers.
A blood test can help detect whether a person has an underlying condition that could cause bone loss. However, it cannot show a person has osteoporosis by itself. Blood tests can provide information about a person's overall health and whether an underlying condition may be present.
You may feel tired, weak and ill. Some sufferers feel feverish, sweaty and lose their appetites, which can lead to weight loss. Many say they feel like they've been hit by a bus. As the joint lining becomes increasingly inflamed they swell and become red and hot to the touch.
Osteoarthritis symptoms range from stiffness and mild pain to persistent, severe joint pain. Common signs include swelling and tenderness, stiffness after getting out of bed, and a crunching feeling or sound of bone rubbing on bone.
RA is symmetrical, where a patient feels symptoms in the same spot on both sides of the body, often in the joints in the feet and hands. Osteoarthritis, in contrast, begins in an isolated joint, often in the knee, fingers, hands, spine and hips. While both sides may hurt, one side is more painful.
The major distinction between is the processes that underlie these two diseases, which can have similar symptoms. Osteoarthritis starts in the cartilage, the shock absorber that lines the bone at the joints. Inflammatory arthritis often begins in other soft tissues that line the joint.
While pain is common in OA, obvious inflammation — redness and swelling — is usually considered a primary symptom with other types of arthritis. However, as osteoarthritis progresses, inflammation can occur around an affected joint.