Method for prognostic evaluation of the disease progression of rheumatoid arthritis and/or diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis by analysing cytokines from a human full blood sample, wherein - a volume of an isolated full blood sample of a human is transferred into at least one test tube containing a stimulating agent, whereas the stimulating agent is a specific binding partner of tmTNFα, a ligand of CCR5 or a divalent or trivalent cation, and as control samples, the same volume of the full blood sample in each case is transferred into an empty test tube as a negative control and a test tube containing lipopolysaccharide as a positive control respectively, - the respective test tubes along with the full blood samples contained therein are subsequently incubated at a temperature of 30 - 40 °C, - the cell-free residue of each full blood sample is obtained from the test tubes and the concentration of at least two cytokines selected from TNF-α, IL-8, IFNγ, IL-10, IL-1β and IL-6 in the cell-free residue of each sample is detected, - by way of an altered concentration of the at least one cytokine in the at least one test tube comprising the stimulating agent, the prognostic evaluation of the disease progression of rheumatoid arthritis and/or the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is subsequently made in comparison with the negative control, - whereby a higher concentration of TNF-α, IL-8, IFNγ and IL-6 in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicate a higher risk that rheumatoid arthritis is present, whereby a lower concentration of IL-1β or IL-10 in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicates that rheumatoid arthritis is present, whereby in course of an a TNF inhibitor treatment a lower concentration of IL-1β in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicates a poor response to a TNF inhibitor treatment and a higher concentration of TNF-α or IL-8 in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicates a good response to a TNF inhibitor treatment, whereby a lower concentration of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and IFNγ in the sample with the ligand of CCR5 in comparison with the standard values of healthy individuals without the genetic deletion of CCR5 indicates lower risk that rheumatoid arthritis is present or in patients with a diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis indicates a good prognosis of the disease progression, whereby a higher concentration of IL-1β in the sample with the divalent or trivalent cation in comparison to the negative control indicates a higher risk that rheumatoid arthritis is present. - a volume of an isolated full blood sample of a human is transferred into at least one test tube containing a stimulating agent, whereas the stimulating agent is a specific binding partner of tmTNFα, a ligand of CCR5 or a divalent or trivalent cation, and as control samples, the same volume of the full blood sample in each case is transferred into an empty test tube as a negative control and a test tube containing lipopolysaccharide as a positive control respectively, - the respective test tubes along with the full blood samples contained therein are subsequently incubated at a temperature of 30 - 40 °C, - the cell-free residue of each full blood sample is obtained from the test tubes and the concentration of at least two cytokines selected from TNF-α, IL-8, IFNγ, IL-10, IL-1β and IL-6 in the cell-free residue of each sample is detected, - by way of an altered concentration of the at least one cytokine in the at least one test tube comprising the stimulating agent, the prognostic evaluation of the disease progression of rheumatoid arthritis and/or the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is subsequently made in comparison with the negative control, - whereby a higher concentration of TNF-α, IL-8, IFNγ and IL-6 in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicate a higher risk that rheumatoid arthritis is present, whereby a lower concentration of IL-1β or IL-10 in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicates that rheumatoid arthritis is present, whereby in course of an a TNF inhibitor treatment a lower concentration of IL-1β in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicates a poor response to a TNF inhibitor treatment and a higher concentration of TNF-α or IL-8 in the sample with the specific binding partner of tmTNF-α in comparison to the negative control indicates a good response to a TNF inhibitor treatment, whereby a lower concentration of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and IFNγ in the sample with the ligand of CCR5 in comparison with the standard values of healthy individuals without the genetic deletion of CCR5 indicates lower risk that rheumatoid arthritis is present or in patients with a diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis indicates a good prognosis of the disease progression, whereby a higher concentration of IL-1β in the sample with the divalent or trivalent cation in comparison to the negative control indicates a higher risk that rheumatoid arthritis is present.