Inflammatory arthritis

[valrene]

Hi all wrote a little while ago about my stiff pip joints, Rheumy had x-rays done he was sure it was OA but no sign of OA on x-rays, Rheumy wrote just to carry on with paracetamol (which do not help at all) I would see my Rheumy nurse in 4 months time, he was no help at all.So fed up with the pain someone replied to me on here that their pmr was diagnosed with the awful pain in their pip joints just like mine, Rheumy and GP whom I saw yesterday said you don’t get pmr in your fingers, my ESR and crp are raised a little but nowhere as high as when first diagnosed 4 years ago, have been off pred 8 months now but take 20mg of Leflunomide, asked Gp if a short spell on pred would help my fingers, just like my Rheumy he said steroids will only mask the pain when I come off I will be back to square one again. GP had a good look at my x-rays and said I have inflammatory arthritis ( not sure what that is) but surely that’s the same as pmr ? Could any of you lovely people explain to me what inflammatory arthritis is, when I google it comes back with RA, I’m completely baffled by it all.xx

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Inflammatory arthritis affects the joints and can cause damage. PMR is a vasculitis - and while it can cause synovitis (inflammation of the joint lining) it doesn't cause erosion.

arthritis.org/about-arthrit...

RA is just one sort of inflammatory arthritis but there are quite a few. PMR is not the disease - it is the name given to a set of symptoms caused by an underlying disorder. It is quite common as a feature of arthritis.

[valrene]

Thank you PMRpro have read the article you posted makes more sense now.

[jinasc]

Looks to me that it is possible for two things:

1: Leflunomide, as far as I am aware it is a steroid sparing agent and not a replacement for pred.

You could still have PMR.

2: You could have developed Late Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis and the gold standard treatment for that I Methotextrate.

I am baffled with your Medics.................

Others will be along and perhaps when you get some more answers, you can write them all down and book a double appointment with your GP and take someone along with you and get some answers.

[valrene in reply to jinasc]

Hi jinasc thank you for you reply, yes I’m baffled with my Rheumy’s response to my hands, he said the Leflunomide will help keep the inflammation out of my blood vessels, my mum had pmr her hands were exactly the same as mine, Rheumy said I don’t fit in a box as my symptoms are so different he said the same with my pmr 4years ago, until my Rheumy nurse asked a different Rheumy to look at me as after 5months in agony I couldn’t stand the pain any longer, he diagnosed me straight away put me on 20mg pred pain went within 48hrs. Did try methotrexate but pushed my liver enzymes up so had to go on Leflunomide. When I first had all the blood test I had very high ant- bodies in my blood for MPO anca positive but with the Leflunomide pushed my ant-bodies down to nearer normal. My GP explained to me it was inflammatory arthritis I just wonder what the final out come will be, at least we manly go into remission with PMR but will I be in constant pain for the rest of my life.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to valrene]

You shouldn't be if the treatment is sorted. Time for a new rheumy ...

[Pippah45]

This could be a red herring and just to warn you I am an avid reader of What Doctors Don't Tell You and Alternative Medicine. I had been having painful hip trouble and assumed it was OA setting in but read an article on Prolozone therapy and decided to try. I think it was 2013 I had MRI on hips and knees and was told one hip and one knee had OA. The opposite ones to where the pain was but Hey! Anyway went for Prolozone in January and treated by an osteopath. He proclaimed it was bursitis in the hip and said the good news was the treatment helps that too. It did and I have been much better since. Obviously check everything out but it seems clear from this forum that Rheumies aren't always right.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Pippah45]

Especially when they disdain to use diagnostic imaging to make a differential diagnosis ...

[valrene in reply to PMRpro]

Rheumy did say have your x- rays to confirm his diagnoses of OA, if still in doubt will send me for an mri scan, well no sign of OA no sign of a mri scan either, that would of confirmed what I have, think he got the hump because he was wrong AGAIN 🤣🤣

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to valrene]

Hahahahahaha - mine was like that. Didn't want it to be PMR but all his hunches headed nowhere fast ...

[valrene in reply to PMRpro]

🤣🤣🤣