Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis
There are 4 stages as clinically established by researchers. These stages largely define the prognosis of the disease. All of them have a distinguishing feature to look for in an X-ray.
- Stage 1- No pathological changes are visible on the X-ray.
- Stage 2- There is some bone damage seen in the surface between the joints, but there is no joint deformity appreciated on the X-ray.
- Stage 3- There is clear evidence of bone and cartilage damage along with joint deformity on the X-ray.
- Stage 4- All the features of stage 3 are markedly appreciated along with the unification of the joint surfaces on the X-ray film.
