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Pregnancy and the RF test
HI Elizabeth, Pregnancy can affect many test results, but I am not aware of any reports that the RF (rheumatoid factor) test is increased or decreased in the presence of a ......
Is there a link between Lyme disease and RA?
HI Kimberly, There is no particular link between Lyme disease/arthritis and RA. They have totally different causes and generally present very differently. Lyme arthritis usually involves one knee or one ankle, ......
Withholding treatmen due to a "cost to society"?
Our stance on this at the Hopkins Arthritis Center is the following: We start treatment with a non-biologic (oral) drug first - usually methotrexate - because it has a long track ......
Reduced hormone levels and the onset of RA?
RA is more common in women and it often gets better during pregnancy. These two facts suggest an influence from hormones. However, many women do get RA before the menopause, and ......
Should someone on anti-TNF inhibitor avoid contact with individuals with Chicken Pox?
If a person has never had chicken pox and is taking a TNF inhibitor, he/she should avoid contact with a person who does have chicken pox. As for traveling, it is ......
Best tests for diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The best test to look for rheumatoid arthritis are the following: 1) examination of the joints to see if they are swollen; 2) blood tests - rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP antibody, ......
Can people with post traumatic arthritis develop RA? Is there research on this?
There have been some studies suggesting that trauma or bad infections or other insults to the body could trigger rheumatoid arthritis. However, the findings were never consistent from study to study. ......
Why is RA pain felt in pairs on both sides of the body?
This is a great question and no one really understands why RA is so symmetric (affecting the same joints on both sides of the body). Your doctor is right that it ......
Tests negative but pain persisting?
Sometimes the cause of pain can be elusive. When all of the usual tests are negative, the chance is higher that this is fibromyalgia or possibly a result of a viral ......
Is RA communicable disease
No. RA is not an infectious or communicable disease....
Minocycline Trials
This forum has acknowledged on numerous occasions that minocycline has been extensively studied in human RA and has a modest benefit in the clinical trials. However, minocycline is not as effective ......
Neg RA factor Sed rate 10 family history RA HELP!
It's difficult to tell without examining you. You are right that RA frequently seems to start after childbirth. But a rash would be somewhat unusual for RA and I would wonder ......
Can injury or Car accidents bring on RA?
Many patients describe accidents, surgeries or other traumatic events as starting or "triggering" RA. Lawsuits often try to focus on this possibility. However, there is no clear scientific evidence that this ......
Diagnosis of RA
The follow-up of six weeeks is reasonable because, by that time a viral arthritis should be resolving. Although with sensitive techniques such as MRI, joint damage can be detected as early ......
Trauma induced rheumatoid arthritis
Although I have had many patients whose RA began after trauma, surgery or stressful event, there is no clear association of trauma with the onset of RA....
diet
Although many patients have told me that certain foods trigger flares of their arthritis, there is no controlled scientific evidence that foods trigger RA or OA. See our article on nutrition ......
molecular mimicry and therapeutic vaccines
You've laid out the possibilities nicely and yes it would be possible to use a vaccine in such a manner. However, despite the years of looking, and all the evidence that ......
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Injuries
No. There is no evidence to my knowledge linking either the onset of RA or complications of RA to trauma or injury....
rheumatoid arthritis
Although RA can start at any age, it most commonly starts in the 40 to 50 age range. The second part of your question is complicated and would take a textbook ......
Vitimans and Nutrition
Unfortunately there are very few controlled studies on this topic that I am aware of....
Zyban cause of RA
Zyban does not cause RA. The question is whether your joint symptoms are related to a hypersensitivty (allergic) reaction which could possibly be caused by Zyban. As noted in this forum, ......
link between mmr vaccine and ra
The arthritis that can occur after vaccinations is usually transitory-- meaning it goes away, generally after 6 weeks and at most 12. Thus even though your arthritis is being classified as ......
rheumatoid arthriris
I assume you mean joint effusions or the fluid flund within the joints in RA. Joint effusions in RA are caused by inflammation within the joint space....
zero negative rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid factor is a commonly ordered blood test to help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. About 70-90% of people with adult rheumatoid arthritis are positive for rheumatoid factor and about 20% of people ......
Is It Likely A Trauma Caused RA?
First, you need to see a rheumatologist to confirm that you have RA. Although patients often report that RA starts after trauma, the formal, controlled studies do not show this....
RHEUMATOID ARHTRITIS AND GENETICS
The chance of an identical twin developing RA if the other twin has RA (the genetic term is called the concordance rate) is about 30-50%. Thus although genes are important, they ......
is R.A. fatal
I hope you get to see a rheumatologist soon. Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has improved dramatically in recent years and there is lots of reason to be optimistic. While it is ......
Genetic and Rheuatoid Arthritis
In families like yours, where multiple family members are affected by a disease, it seems obvious that there is a geneticconnection. But no single gene has yet been identified to determine ......
Osteoarthritis and Rheumatiod Arthritis
You likley have a post-traumatic degenerative arthritis of the knee caused by the accident. This is completely unrelated to the recent diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis....
prevention
Unfortunately, there is no known prevention....
Rheumatoid Arthritis Preventable?
Nothing we know of and I wish we could....
smoking and RA
No. However, there is very compelling information that RA patients who smoke have more severe disease and worse outcomes....
Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Hereditary?
Unfortunately there is a good chance that your sister has RA, although it is not 100%. I believe the chance is about 40-60% in most studies. Since identical twins share 100% ......
Arthritis induced by taking Levaquin?
Levaquin has been associated with soft tissue problems such as tendinitis and bursitis. It has not been associated with a true arthritis (inflammation of the joint structure itself). If your problems ......
RA and normal blood tests
About 15-20% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a negative rheumatoid factor (RF) test. A new blood test called anti-CCP has been very specific for rheumatoid arthritis and is also ......
