Rheumatoid Arthritis

it indicates that you have some sort of inflammation. the normal sed rate for men is about 10 to 15 and in women it is a Little higher at 15 to 20. this test indicates that there is inflammation, however it does not indicate the cause of the inflammation. it is widely used for testing for inflammation in the case of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis where inflammation needs to be brought under control on order to stop damage that it can cause to joints and other tissue.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a Autoimmune disease. and has nothing to do with aging. as a matter of fact baby's can be afflicted with it. What happens is the immune system mistakenly attacks cartilage and often other areas that are made with connective tissue. The inflammation associated with it can lead to the complete destruction of joints and associated bone and muscle. and cause serious deformity's. the cause for the disease is not known however there deo seem to be genetic links.

The form arthritis caused by wear and tear, trauma and at times aging is known as osteoarthritis.

ESR indicates inflammation. so the way to brong it down is to either reduce the inflamation with an antiinflamatory or fix the problem that is causing the inflamation in the first place. Rheumatoid arthritis for example is a disease that is the result of inflammation the cause for which is unknown in its case anti inflammatory or disease modifying drugs are used ti reduce the inflammation because the cause for the inflammation is not known. On the other hand inflammation can also be caused by bacterial infections where antibiotics can deal with the cause of the inflammation

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. RA can be responsible for inflammation around the joints as well as in other organs and tissues of the body. An autoimmune disease is a condition where body's tissues are attacked by the body's own immune system. The immune system is designed to "seek and destroy" invaders or foreign materials of the body, especially infectious organisms. Persons with autoimmune diseases have antibodies in their blood that attack their own body the resulting inflammation then damages or destroys the tissue concerned. Because it can affect several organs of the body it is known as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness, meaning it can last for years, patients may experience long periods of time without symptoms. Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive illness that has the potential to cause joint destruction, Deformity, pain and functional disability. Ra usually presents itself in several joints coinciding on on opposite sides of the body and is also described as a poliarthritis.

Kids can get rheumatoid arthritis too. Most people think that it is only the elderly that can get it. The Arthritis Foundation, a nationwide support group, works to bring this message out to the world.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an Autoimmune disease that leads to the destruction of connective tissue like cartilage in the joints and in other places.

A rheumatoid factor (RF) blood test measures the amount of the RF antibody present in the blood.

The results of the rheumatoid factor (RF) test may be reported in titers or units:

• A titer is a measure of how much the blood sample can be diluted before RF can no longer be detected. A titer of 1 to 20 (1:20) means that RF can be detected when 1 part of the blood sample is diluted by up to 20 parts of a salt solution (saline). A larger second number means there is more RF in the blood. So a titer of 1 to 80 shows more RF in the blood than a titer of 1 to 20.
• Nephelometry units show how much light is blocked by the blood sample in the tube. A high level of RF causes the sample to be cloudy, so less light passes through the tube than when the RF level is low. So an RF level of 100 units is higher than one of 40 units.

The normal values listed here-called a reference range-are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what's normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, your doctor will evaluate your results based on your health and other factors. This means that a value that falls outside the normal values listed here may still be normal for you or your lab.

You can usually get the results within 24 hours.Rheumatoid factor (RF)Titers

Less than 1:80Units

Less than 60 units per milliliter (U/mL)

Check with your doctor to see what the normal range is for the lab that tested your blood.

High RF levels may be caused by:

• Rheumatoid arthritis. This is the most common reason for a positive rheumatoid factor (RF) level.
• Hepatitis C infection.
• Other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma, Sjögren's syndrome, and vasculitis.
• Infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, mononucleosis, syphilis, and malaria.
• Liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and chronic active hepatitis.
• Infection of the heart (endocarditis).
• Leukemia.

This sounds like the first signs of rheumatoid arthritis. RA is not easily diagnosed and can easily slip a doctors attention. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks connective tissues in joints and other parts of the body. It takes time to get a diagnosis of this disease as there is no definitive test for it' However Blood tests that are done for RA include tests for Rheumatoid factor which is elevated in about 80% of RA cases. as well as esr (erochite sedimentation blood tests) to check for inflammation, a more recent an very important test to help in the diagnosis is the CCP blood test, this can be useful in diagnosing early RA. An elevated CCP can be found in a significant number of patients who have a negative RF, and therefore can help to make a diagnosis. According to the American College of Rheumatology, CCP antibodies may be detected in about 50-60% of patients with early RA (as early as 3-6 months after the beginning of symptoms). Early detection and diagnosis of RA allows doctors to begin aggressive treatment of the condition, minimising the associated complications and tissue damage.

No, Rheumatoid arthritis is not contagious.

Yes, and some doctors misdiagnose Rheumatoid Arthritis as Multiple Myeloma!

The exact cause for Rheumatoid arthritisis not known however there seems to be no known connection between Spina Bifida and Rheumatoid arthritis. Spina Bifida seems to be caused by a deficiency of folic acid during pregnancy, while arthritis is an auto-immune disease. As people age, though, they are prone to developing arthritis in overused joints.

Reference ranges for blood tests are sets of values used by a health professional to interpret a set of medical test results from blood samples.

Reference ranges for blood tests are studied within the field of clinical chemistry (also known as "clinical biochemistry", "chemical pathology" or "pure blood chemistry"), the area of pathology that is generally concerned with analysis of bodily fluids.

The term "suppurative arthritis" is a near synonym for septic arthritis. ("Suppurative" refers to the production of pus, without necessarily implying sepsis.)

ICD-10 uses the term "pyogenic arthritis". Pyogenic also refers to the production of pus.

Reactive arthritis refers to arthritis caused by an immune consequence of an infection, but not directly attributable to the infection itself.

The usual etiology of septic arthritis is bacterial, but viral, mycobacterial, and fungal arthritis occur occasionally. A broader term is "infectious arthritis", which describes arthritis caused by any infectious organism. Viruses can cause arthritis, but it can be hard to determine if the arthritis is directly due to the virus or if the arthritis is reactive.

Septic/suppurative arthritis and "bacterial arthritis" are sometimes considered equivalent, but there are exceptions. For example, Borrelia burgdorferi can cause infectious arthritis, but is not associated with suppurative arthritis. (Source wikipedia)

Osteoarthritis does not involve the production of puss at the site of the effected joint or joints.