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 have been seeing post on my Facebook because I have liked some arthritis pages. That say SERONEGATIVE arthritis doesn't exist. That it's actually some other form of arthralgia and that it's not bilateral. But I have had sero neg for 15 years and have been labeled moderate to severe even though I don't have joint damage or deformity I have been treated aggressively from the start. My symptoms are bilateral and body wide. I think it was a site called health line but I'm not sure. Any way I think its bogus to say there is no such thing. Any one else have a thought.
Autoimmune diseases are poorly understood. I'm completely open to the possibility that an inflammatory arthritis that is consistently, long-term, seronegative might be a slightly different beast than RA. This does not mean that it doesn't exist, or that it is not every bit as serious, or that it should not be treated, just that it may be a slightly different form of the same crap.
I'm still betting they have something to sell!
Either someone out there in cyberspace is pushing your buttons or is completely clueless. As 51percent has already stated, seronegative is a term used when a person has the disease but it doesn't show up in the diagnostic labs.
In the case of RA, you would have Rheumatoid Arthritis but your labs called Rheumatoid Factor, Anti-CCP, ANA, or your CRP are all coming up negative or inconclusive.
When you are talking about Rheumatoid Arthritis, up to one-third of patients with this disase are seronegative. I consider this a very high percentage.
I hope you find this helpful and welcome to the board!!
Regards,
TheWino