Arthritis was first diagnosed and documented around 4500 BC. However, the symptoms, quite similar to those of rheumatoid arthritis, were first documented in a text that dates back to 123 AD. These symptoms were noted in the Native American skeletal remains from Tennessee.

According to the available historical records of rheumatoid arthritis, it is quite clear that this condition was very rare in Old World, the period before the 15th century. It is, therefore, believed that it was during the Exploration Age that this condition spread across the Atlantic.

Jim Mobley of Pfizer, in one of his research, has attributed the rheumatoid arthritis spikes to the selective pressure that is caused in tuberculosis. However, surprisingly, no symptoms of tuberculosis were found in the Pre-Columbian bones excavated at Tennessee. But, later researches proved that the human immune system usually becomes hyper-vigilant against tuberculosis to the detriment of increased susceptibility to autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. The detrimental effects of this condition have also been depicted in the incredible 16th century art of Peter P. Rubens. However, this fact is debatable as some people see his art as just another art form that followed the stylized conventions of the Mannerist Movement.

It was in the year 1800 that the very first detailed account of rheumatoid arthritis was documented by Dr. Augustine J. Landre-Beauvais, a French physician from the famous Paris hospital, named Salpetriere. The present day name, rheumatoid arthritis, was given to this condition in the year 1859 by Dr. Alfred B. Garrod, a British rheumatologist.

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