Summary: The early stage of arthritis is related to inflammation located around the joints, and the first signs of the disease are noticeable up to a year maximum. At this stage there might be noticeable swelling and pain around at least one joint, not related to any past trauma. It is not possible to recognize any specific kind of rheumatoid arthritis at this stage, either.
Since 2007, the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) has been issuing recommendations related to the treatment of early arthritis. These recommendations focus on the necessity for aggressive treatments of this disease in those patients who have factors of a high risk of chronic and progressive prognosis of the disease.
The doctors who have first contact with patients presenting with the early stage of arthritis are mainly general practitioners (GP). That is why it is so important to set up a further diagnostic and therapeutic plan as soon as the first visit, and if there is any suspicion of rheumatoid arthritis, to provide a referral to a rheumatologist.