Diagnosing Inflammatory Arthritis

Imaging tests

Different scans may be completed to check for joint inflammation and damage. These scans can help tell the difference between the different types of inflammatory arthritis and can be used to check how your condition is progressing over time.

These may include:

• X-rays
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Ultrasound scans

Blood tests

Blood tests may be used to find changes in your blood that are caused by inflammation. However, no blood test can prove or rule out a diagnosis of a type of inflammatory arthritis.

Blood tests used to diagnose and monitor rheumatoid arthritis include:

• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• C-reactive protein (CRP)
• Full blood count

Genetic testing

A genetic blood test may be carried to help diagnose axial spondyloarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, to see if you carry the HLA-B27 gene. However, this test can only contribute towards a diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis as it’s not entirely reliable as not everyone with axial spondyloarthritis has the HLA-B27 gene.