Other conditions with symptoms similar to rheumatoid arthritis

Joint pain and stiffness can be caused by other medical conditions besides rheumatoid arthritis, including:¹

• Osteoarthritis (most common form of arthritis).
• Crystal deposits in the joint (gout and pseudogout).
• Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE).
• Polymyalgia rheumatica.
• Inflammation of blood vessels in the body (vasculitis).
• Spondyloarthropathies (such as Reiter's syndrome [reactive arthritis], ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis).
• Bacterial arthritis.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Lyme disease.
• Viral diseases such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
• Torn cartilage in the joint.

Usually, a health professional will diagnose rheumatoid arthritis by evaluating your symptoms, understanding your medical history, and performing certain blood tests to eliminate other causes for your symptoms.

Citations

1. Harris ED Jr (2005). Clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis. In ED Harris Jr et al., eds., Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology, 7th ed., vol. 2, pp. 1043–1078. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders.