Patent ID: 7344717

Claim:
A method of treating morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints in a rheumatoid arthritis patient suffering from morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints, consisting of identifying that a patient suffers from morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints and administering to the patient that suffers from morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints a morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints an effective amount of erythropoietin over a treatment period; identifying that said patient that suffers from morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints, has, after said treatment period in comparison to before said treatment period, a lower level of morning stiffness, loss of grip strength, painful joints, or swollen joints.