Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Rheumatoid arthritis

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Rheumatoid arthritis, and what each one is: not a recommendation. Your clinician decides which scan or test, if any, you need. Prices below are typical UK private ranges; enter your postcode to see the NHS wait near you.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition where the immune system, which normally fights infection, attacks the lining of the joints by mistake. About rheumatoid arthritis and NHS waits →

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Blood tests and examination first

Rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed from your symptoms, an examination and blood tests (including inflammation markers and antibodies) rather than a scan. These are tests, not scans.

Ultrasound

Sometimes used to look for inflammation in the joints, particularly early on when the diagnosis is being confirmed. An X-ray of the hands or feet is sometimes used too.

An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to produce live images, via a handheld probe on the skin. It uses no radiation.

How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes.

Good for: Soft tissues near the surface, tendons and muscles, the abdomen and pelvis, and anything best seen moving in real time.

Typical UK private cost: £185 to £495. Usually bookable within days.

Sources: NICE (NG100), NHS.

See the wait and price near you

Enter your postcode for the NHS wait at your nearest hospital and the private price range from clinics within 25 miles.

All conditions, scans and tests →MRI waits by hospital →All NHS waiting times →

Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. NHS waits are from DM01 diagnostics data. Nothing here is medical advice; your clinician decides which scan, if any, you need.

How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?

Your free companion dashboard compares all four paths for Rheumatoid arthritis: wait, switch to a faster NHS hospital, part-private, or fully private. It names the faster hospitals near you, shows what going private would cost, and gives you letters ready to send. You can print it or save it as a PDF. Free, and nothing is locked or paid.

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