Blood test for early osteoarthritis diagnosis on the cards

A new test means that people could soon be diagnosed with early-stage arthritis several years before the onset of physical and irreversible symptoms.

Experts from the University of Warwick developed the test, which can provide an early diagnosis of osteoarthritis and distinguish this from early-stage rheumatoid arthritis and other self-resolving inflammatory joint diseases.

The test should be available within two years. It works by identifying the chemical signatures found in the plasma of blood joint proteins damaged by oxidation, nitration and glycation.

Diagnosing the type of arthritis that a person will develop at an early-stage will allow for appropriate treatment that is more likely to work for the individual and even prevent damaging symptoms.

“This is a big step forward for early-stage detection of arthritis that will help start treatment early and prevent painful and debilitating disease,” says Dr Naila Rabbani, who led the work.

Click here to read the original research.

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