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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / January 2006sero negative rheumatoid disease
Hi, I was talking to my mother about another relative, who has apparently been diagnosed as having "sero negative rheumatoid disease", after years of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. Can anyone tell me what this means? Many thanks Elizabeth >Hi, I was talking to my mother about another relative, who has >apparently been diagnosed as having "sero negative rheumatoid disease", [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Many thanks >Elizabeth It means that the relative has all the signs and symptoms of RA but does not have the presence of the rheumatoid factor in her blood. Althoug hte following web sire does not explain seronegative RA it does explain a bit about the test. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/rheumatoid/test.html This is also useful: http://www.medicinenet.com/rheumatoid_factor/article.htm Rose @}>->-- Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB Please remove "Ima" to reply. >http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/rheumatoid/test.html > >This is also useful: >http://www.medicinenet.com/rheumatoid_factor/article.htm What Rose said, plus this: Rheumatoid factor (RF) This is an antibody that can be present in some people with rheumatoid arthritis. However, it is not only found in rheumatoid arthritis. There are people without arthritis who have this antibody, and up to a third of people with rheumatoid arthritis do not have the antibody. It is a useful test only when it can be considered along with other findings. A positive test does not necessarily mean that you have rheumatoid arthritis. The amount of rheumatoid factor is expressed as a number. There are some forms of inflammatory arthritis called the seronegative arthropathies, e.g. ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, which usually have a negative result for this test. Source: http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/booklets/6004/6004.htm Thanks, I'll pass that on. As a child I had terrible joint pains (and migrane type headaches) which kept me awake and in tears for many years. I went back and fore for bloodtests which were always 'negative'. I'm not sure what they were testing for, I assume it was some sort of rheumatoid test. Yestderday my GP finally referred me to rheumatology for suspected Behcet's, and ordered a battery of blood tests (not quite sure what). I'm slightly worried they will show nothing up yet again. Does it make any difference if they are done mid flareup, or should it make no difference? > Thanks, I'll pass that on. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > any difference if they are done mid flareup, or should it make no > difference? I'm at work and don't have access to all my bookmarks, but there's a set of diagnostic criteria for rheumatoid arthritis that includes something like 5 items out of a list of something like 8. One of the items is a positive blood test, but others are morning stiffness, unusual fatigue (I think), and bilateral joint pain for a certain amount of time (six weeks?), and others I don't remember. The point is, though, that a good rheumatologist will evaluate *all* of your symptoms, and if the only thing you're "missing" is positive bloodwork, they'll still treat you on the basis of the clinical picture. Good luck.  SignatureAF Thanks, that's reassuring to know. >> Thanks, I'll pass that on. >> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >Good luck. As Alice is busy working, may I be so bold? It's actually 7 and you need 4 to join our club! which no body really wants you to [no insult intended ;)]. Moriarte has actually been given the link for Dr Docs [an online RD] site by Alison on UPSA, but it's that big and that informative, may I steer a reference your way: http://www.arthritis.co.za/criteria.html Good luck with your RD appointment, and I think the best thing you can do is make rough notes of all that's been happening to you in the last few months so that when the RD says "tell me what's been happening to you then?" you don't forget, you'd be surprised how helpful they can be, and if it turns out your appointment is a month away, start making them now. Again good luck Thanks, it doesn't mention Behcet's but I've found the criteria elsewhere (mainly mouth ulceration with secondary ulcers/lesions in other places/eye inflammation; many other symptoms may be present, but they don't seem to be diagnostically relevant); doesn't mention anything blood-related on any of the sites I've visited e.g. http://www.medicinenet.com/behcets_syndrome/page2.htm >Thanks, it doesn't mention Behcet's but I've found the criteria >elsewhere (mainly mouth ulceration with secondary ulcers/lesions in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >http://www.medicinenet.com/behcets_syndrome/page2.htm there is no blood test that can be used to confirm the diagnosis of Behçet's syndrome read "Why are blood tests used?" here: http://www.arc.org.uk/about_arth/booklets/6003/6003.htm Having said that, you said "GP finally referred me to rheumatology for suspected Behcet's" So could I respectfully say "hold your horses" until that reads "confirmed" as the best way to proceed would be to read up on what you've been diagnosed with, when diagnosed. As other have said there are over 170+ types of arthritis many with similar or same symptoms, so step 1 find out which you have step 2 treat it. Having said that I suppose there's no harm on reading about it on the internet as long as you keep in mind the trained medical professional does the diagnosis. Again, good luck and I hope you and the Docs get to the bottom of it. It likely means she has an autoimmune disease that isn't rheumatoid arthritis. She should see a rheumatologist knowledgeable in the more unusual autoimmune diseases. Bruce > Hi, I was talking to my mother about another relative, who has > apparently been diagnosed as having "sero negative rheumatoid disease", [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Many thanks > Elizabeth > It likely means she has an autoimmune disease that isn't rheumatoid > arthritis. That is not correct. You can have RA and still be RF negative. > She should see a rheumatologist knowledgeable in the more > unusual autoimmune diseases. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> Many thanks >> Elizabeth Signaturespammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor: http://www.abmdr.org.au/ http://www.marrow.org/ I have had RA for many years and am still sero-negative. I was diagnosed based on history, examination and having met all but one of the criteria. You can be RF positive and not have Rheumatoid Arthritis or be negative and have it. Ann > I have had RA for many years and am still sero-negative. I was > diagnosed based on history, examination and having met all but one of > the criteria. You can be RF positive and not have Rheumatoid Arthritis > or be negative and have it. > > Ann A similar scenario exists with ankylosing spondylitis: you can be hla-b27 negative and still have it (you can also be hla-b27 positive and have no disease). Ari Signaturespammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor: http://www.abmdr.org.au/ http://www.marrow.org/ There are over 130 different autoimmune diseases related to rheumatoid arthritis. Many people lump all of these diseases under the general term "rheumatoid arthritis". Many if these diseases can be detected by the presence of "markers" in the blood which show up under different types of blood types. Some forms of these diseases can be present without these markers appearing un the blood serum. When the disease is diagnosed by other means, but none of the markers are present in the blood, the disease is called "sero negative". I was diagnosed with "sero-negative spondylo-arthropathy, subset ankylosing spondylitis". This means that I have AS (convenient abbreviation of "ankylosing spondylitis") but that the common blood markers for it don't show up in any of my blood tests. I have been told that over a quarter of the people with AS are sero-negative. Many other forms of arthritis have similar problems with diagnosis. That is why we always tell people to see a good rheumatologist. I hope that this helps. Norman > Hi, I was talking to my mother about another relative, who has > apparently been diagnosed as having "sero negative rheumatoid disease", [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Many thanks > Elizabeth |
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