Going by the findings of a new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, researchers from the University Hospital in Umea, Sweden, simple blood test may effectively foretell the onset of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), even though a patient may not have experienced any symptoms.

The Swedish research team has identified a number of cytokines, cytokine-related factors, and chemokines that undergo a notable increase prior to the onset of RA – which is a chronic auto-immune disease that leads to inflammation of joints and ultimately destroys cartilage and bone.

For the study, the research team analyzed the blood samples of 86 RA pre-patients who showed no symptoms of the disease; 69 pre-patients after the RA onset; and 256 matched control subjects.

It was found that the blood samples obtained from the study participants consisted of high concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines, cytokine-related factors, and chemokines; thereby hinting at the activation of the immune system prior to any symptoms of joint involvement.

Noting that the early and accurate detection of RA, before its symptoms become obvious, can help the doctors to literally ‘nip the pain in the bud’ and thus better treat the disease, lead researcher Dr Solbritt Rantapaa-Dahlqvist said: “Our findings present an opportunity for better predicting the risk of developing RA and possibly preventing disease progression.”