• Patients with newly* diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA). *Duration less than 6 months.
  
• Patient age should be above 17 years and below 70 years.
  
• Patients with related rheumatic diseases, such as Sjögrens disease and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). However, please note that the value of the test is less clear in these cases. Please consult the 1987 ACR classification for rheumatic diseases (see below).
  
• The disease should be active and involve swelling and pain in at least 2 joints.
  
• Patient should not be addicted to drugs or alcohol and must not suffer from a known, blood-borne, communicable disease.
  
  Note: Patient consent is necessary - and implied from a positive feed-back from reading this Web site with your health care provider. A signed IIR disclaimer must accompany the plasma sample, along with a check to cover the basic costs of carrying out test #1: US$ 100. Note that payment is only needed with test #1; any subsequent test, requested by us, will be carried out free of charge.

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1987 REVISED ARA CRITERIA FOR THE CLASSIFICATION OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

A patient is said to have RA if he or she has satisfied at least 4 of the following 7 criteria. Criteria 1 through 4 must have been present for at least 6 weeks. Patients with 2 clinical diagnoses are not excluded.
1. Morning stiffness in and around the joints, lasting at least 1 hour before maximal improvement.
2. Arthritis of 3 or more joint areas. At least 3 joint areas simultaneously have had soft tissue swelling or fluid (not bony overgrowth alone) observed by a physician; the 14 possible joint areas are right or left proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints, wrist, elbow, knee, ankle, and metatarsophalangeal (MPT) joints.
3. Arthritis of hand joints. At least 1 area swollen (as defined above) in a wrist, MCP or PIP joint.
4. Symmetric arthritis. Simultaneous involvement of the same joint areas (see 2 above) on both sides of the body (bilateral involvement of PIPs, MCPs, or MTPs is acceptable without absolute symmetry).
5. Rheumatoid subcutaneous nodules, over bony prominences, or extensor surfaces, or in juxta-articular regions, observed by a physician.
6. Serum rheumatoid factor. Demonstration of abnormal amounts of serum rheumatoid factor by any method for which the result has been positive in <5% of normal control subjects.
7. Radiographic changes typical of RA on posteroanterior hand and wrist radiographs, which must include erosions or unequivocal bony decalcification localized to or most marked adjacent to the involved joints (osteoarthritis changes alone do not qualify).