Poor rheumatoid arthritis awareness delays diagnosis

People with undiagnosed rheumatoid arthritis are waiting too long before going to the doctor, says a report by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

Public knowledge of the disease is low and more effective awareness campaigns are needed.

Diagnosing and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis within 12 weeks of symptoms appearing can greatly improve outcome, but people frequently miss this ‘window of opportunity’ because they do not report symptoms to their GP soon enough.