thanks for the link - I do disagree with the smoking part because both me and mom have seropositve RA - positive anti ccp and positive ana and positive RF and we didn't smoke - also this may explain why some people respond to some meds right away and have remission and some people have more of a change.

Interesting article.

It's obvious to any of us who have read each other's stories here that the severity, progression, and symtoms of the disease vary widely. I have PsA, which was only recognized as a separate disease about 40 years ago.

I have some of the same questions about MS. I knew one man who was dead of it in less than ten years, and I saw in the paper the other day that another man I knew who had MS had died at 93. He always found it to be a bit of anuisance, but not much more. I work with someone who has it, and his only symptoms are connected to vision.

Someday, RA, MS, and others may be seen more as a cluster of symptoms thatn as a one-size-fits-all disease. Better blood tests may lead to good treatment without all the experimentation. Wouldn't that be fine?

the end of that last sentence should have said
"some people have to go through more changes to find help"

stiff fingers!!!

I have RA.... The PAINFUL kind

@altoclef - I couldn't agree more. A cluster of symptoms is exactly what I think this all is.. for me at least. The most frustrating thing for me since being diagnosed is trying to figure out how to classify this darn disease. My first rheumatologist told me that I had sjogrens and seropositive RA, but since my anti-CCP was negative, it was not aggressive. One year later my THIRD rheumatologist got an XR of my hands to show progression at my first visit with him, and I had joint erosions already. Non-aggressive huh?

I also have lupus and sjogrens antibodies in my blood work, and tons of strange autoimmune symptoms. I have a connective tissue based disease. That's where I leave it.

It's all a bit of a cluster-something-else too, isn't it? Interesting that this article said that a negative anti-CCP does NOT indicate less severe disease. Many of us have been told the opposite.

My guess is that many of us filled a plate at the Autoimmune Smorgasbord. I seem to have PsA, but some manifestations are more like RA, and one set of problems looks more like ankylosing spondylitis. Then there's the occasional malar rash, hallmark of lupus.

Like so many things, the actual humans don't fit in the neat little boxes.

the one my rheumatologist diagnosed that hurts. that's the one I have :).; i second race runner

i'm in a bummer mood. my best bud local in town that has RA that i met from my ra support group was just diagnosed with lupus additionally, yesterday. she also has sojorns (spelling) and ankolying (spelling) and the inflammation in her eyes is up. she is on a cocktail.

could the remicaide the past 5 years that she has taken in the highest dose caused the lupus to come on? can you tell this merely from the bloodwork? sigh. i did not have a chance to go to her ra appointment with her because I was, where else, at the doctor's myself.

depot

The article confused me a bit too. I always thought seropositive was based solely on the rf not the anti-CCP. Is it possible to be negative rf but positive anti-CCP? I'm not sure I've ever heard of someone like that. Every rheumy I've had has said the (higher) anti-CCP points to a more aggressive disease course. I've also never heard about alcohol & caffeine vs breastfeeding etc. I did know about the smoking link but not that it was higher for seropositive.

Sally, your article didn't give me the warm fuzzies at all. Those mortality rates are scary. Did I miss where they mention how many were in the study? I saw where 24k died over the course but not how many started. BTW, if that Dr Sparks is the Dr that started the study 35yrs ago I want whatever he's taking because he doesn't even look 35.

I'm sorry Depot. That's a nasty sucker punch in the gut. It's a wonderful thing that you have each other to lean on during times like these though.

I have no idea if Remicade could've brought on the lupus dx. I just started it in August but the Dr hasn't run any add'l labs for lupus since before starting so I don't know if it's possible. It's not listed as a side effect in any of the literature I read.

We chose Remicade because it's supposed to be the best treatment for multiple AI issues (hopefully 5 is my limit) rather than taking different meds for each one. I'm not sure if it's a med to treat lupus as well or if it can cause it. I'll ask at next week's appt because now you've got me wondering. Lupus scares me almost as much as sarcoidosis.

Take care,
Emerald

oh crap did not mean to scare you. my ra buddy has the multiple AI diagnoses also. who knows, she'd probably be in a wheelchair permanently without the remicaide. they dose her high and as frequently as possible even sooner than is allowed on protocol . she is such a RELENTLESSLY cheery person despite all this, I will say she has the strangest walk i have ever seen but the biggest smile also. she's a fighter. and i am rooting for her, and for you :)

depot

I read the article and wasnt that impressed with it.

Emerald, I don't know if Remicade has a rare side effect of drug-induces lupus but I do know that Enbrelo gave me drug-induced lupus. %The Rheumy said it is a very rare side effect.

so -

even though this wasn't mentioned - where does the ESR and CRP levels fit in? can/are they considered fwhen deciding if the patient is seropositive or seronegative? or am i getting confused (again!)

Also -RA is NOT just cluster of symptoms. It is a very real, complex and serious disease. It is also very hard to diagnose and control and some of the medicine will harm you even further and because the disease attacks your internal organs, the side effects of the medication can take you down even more!!! in my case, my heart, lungs, eyes, stomach, liver, gallbladder, brain and skin muscles - it is very invasive and it has taken the old young me away and now there's a new old lady sitting here typing on the computer - oh well.

Anyway - Free and Sally - hey Ladies thanks for the links!!! I still have a lot of question myself even though i should be an at this.

Happy Thankgiving everybody

I find this funny. Seropositive nonsmoker drink 1 cup of coffee a day and breastfed my son for a year. I think the cause of RA/trigger is different for people which is why they cannot figure it out. Interesting to read another opinion.

I'm new to RA. I was diagnosed about 6 months ago. My pain management doctor told me I probably have it because it runs in my family. I see him again next week. I'll print out the article and show him and see what he says.

Thanks for posting it free2beme6060

Joey