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...

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Undifferentialed Conective Tissue Disease

Afriel
Afriel
"All you results came back. At this time there is no systemic lupus erythematosus but you have undifferentiated connective tissue disease which can get better own it own in some people. Otherwise follow up as planned."

From my rheum. What is your guy's take? I sent him a response, but it will not an immediate return, lol. So what do you think this means? I am unsure what to think...
deleted_user
deleted_user
UCTD is similar to MCTD (mixed connective tissue disease). It just means you have some inflammation markers (anti-nuclear antibodies) and that your symptoms could vary across multiple auto-immune disorders, including RA, Lupus, and Fibro. It's fancy speak for "something is wrong with your immune system, but we don't know what." Thankfully, it's usually treated however your symptoms are aligning so if you're experience lupus-like symptoms, they'll treat it as such. There is an MCTD support group on here that I participate in.
Afriel
Afriel
Ok, that's not so bad, thanks! he just sends me this message you know, with no explanation. I was wondering, does this mean immune or not, lol, because he had brought up benign joint hypermobility and said at my visit that autoimmune didn't seem likely. Well, guess the blood work changed his mind but he still isn't sure. This is good to know, thanks again!
bcatz
bcatz
It may be that what you WILL have, you DONT have YET. Make sense?
LOL
Sorry. It took years for me to get a diagnosis. As I look back now, I know it was RA, but the blood markers just weren't there.

If the prednisone worked, then when you get a bad flare of UCTD or whatever it may become, you can go on it. If you stay in chronic pain, then the rheumatologist needs to see about starting you on a long term treatment.

I guess you have "some" answers, just not all.