Here's an interesting little gem!
When you were diagnosed were you told that according to the Rheumatoid Factor you were either sero-negative or sero-positive?
The Rheumatoid Factor is an immunoglobulin antibody that is found in the blood of around 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis and is a common diagnostic tool for the disease, although not a particularly reliable one. However, a certain number of people with the symptoms of the disease do not have this antibody hence they are sero-negative. That's me, for all my 23 years of disease history.
Except, perhaps not! Last week I found out that in the first few years of the disease some patients who are sero-negative will convert to sero-positive. On Thursday I was re-tested for rheumatoid factor and given the test for anti-ccp (not available when I was first diagnosed).
If I am now sero-positive this could potentially affect future treatment options. I await those results with interest and impatience.
Anyone else been down this route?
Lyn x