Although blood tests can be conducted for a number of health reasons, including measuring , a new study is suggesting that blood tests might be able to predict the presence of rheumatoid arthritis before a patient experiences symptoms.

The disease, which deals with the painful inflammation of the joints, usually occurs in older individuals who need to seek treatment to calm the pain. The disease can sometimes lead to the destruction of bone and cartilage in some severe cases.

According to a new study published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, being able to detect the disease before it progresses may allow physicians to treat it, preventing the pain from occurring before it even starts.

Researchers noted that certain chemokines and cytokines increase significantly within the blood prior to rheumatoid arthritis occurring. The scientists said they feel that if doctors notice this progression early enough, they may be able to prevent the disease.

“Our findings present an opportunity for better predicting the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and possibly preventing disease progression,” said study author Solbritt Rantap??-Dahlqvist, M.D.