Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. So I am having pain in my chest when I breath in. It is best described as a sharp pain like I pulled something my PC checked for blood clots and pneuma all negative and so he thought it might be caused by my RA. Has anyone here had something like this?
Great that your doctor checked for the life threatening stuff and it was ruled out.
Though I've never had it, I've heard of other people with RA who have also had bouts with costchondritis. Here's a link:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/costochondritis/article_em.htm
This condition isn't necessarily linked to RA, as I understand it. I think because we RA patients are in the doctors' offices more frequently than the average person, it may SEEM like it's an RA-related issue [but is not].
Hope others chime in.
Costochondritis is an inflammatory process but usually has no definite cause. Repeated minor trauma to the chest wall, overuse of the arms, or viral respiratory infections can commonly cause chest pain due to costochondritis. ... Bacterial: Costochondritis may occur after surgery and be caused by bacterial infections.
Costochondritis might be linked to specific problems, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. Joint infection. Viruses, bacteria and fungi — such as tuberculosis, syphilis and aspergillosis — can infect the rib joint.
It is an inherited auto-inflammatory disorder that may also be considered an autoimmune disease. ... Costosternal syndrome – a painful inflammation of the intercostal cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum. Sometimes referred to as Costochondritis or Tietze syndrome (if accompanied by swelling).
It's not a common occurrence in those of us with RA.