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Rheumatoid arthritis?
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<blockquote data-quote="InsaneCdn" data-source="post: 540284" data-attributes="member: 11791"><p>I agree with testing for RF as part of normal blood work - but it's only one more factor. Mom didn't show it until she was "out of control" with full-blown acute RA.</p><p>First symptoms often (not always) show by 30, but diagnosis may not come until the person is 40 or 50 or more. Part of it depends on how well you look after yourself - you may have RA lurking in the background, and not have major flares until you hit some major stress point, or a lot of little things start to catch up with you.</p><p>There is also some recognition out there that RA is a spectrum, from many angles. Acute vs. chronic is a big one - if you have a chronic case, and it is caught early, it CAN often be managed and damage minimized. But acute RA hits so fast that there isn't time to "manage" it - all they can do is damage control after things get under control.</p><p></p><p>And yes, RA is usually bilateral. It may not hit the whole body - but usually hits all of the same joint at or close to the same time. If it's in the knee, it will be both... Osteo is not bilateral, although damage can occur in parallel joints.</p><p></p><p>RA is an auto-immune disease. Osteoarthritus is not. The progression is totally different, and approaches to treatment are very different. Except for the benefits of joint replacement, there is almost no common ground.</p><p></p><p>Confused yet? RA is sort of one of the difficult child dxes... unpredictable (usually), debilitating (often), and yet, never quite the total "bad guy" that it's made out to be... And yes, if you can learn how to "parent" it, it really helps!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="InsaneCdn, post: 540284, member: 11791"] I agree with testing for RF as part of normal blood work - but it's only one more factor. Mom didn't show it until she was "out of control" with full-blown acute RA. First symptoms often (not always) show by 30, but diagnosis may not come until the person is 40 or 50 or more. Part of it depends on how well you look after yourself - you may have RA lurking in the background, and not have major flares until you hit some major stress point, or a lot of little things start to catch up with you. There is also some recognition out there that RA is a spectrum, from many angles. Acute vs. chronic is a big one - if you have a chronic case, and it is caught early, it CAN often be managed and damage minimized. But acute RA hits so fast that there isn't time to "manage" it - all they can do is damage control after things get under control. And yes, RA is usually bilateral. It may not hit the whole body - but usually hits all of the same joint at or close to the same time. If it's in the knee, it will be both... Osteo is not bilateral, although damage can occur in parallel joints. RA is an auto-immune disease. Osteoarthritus is not. The progression is totally different, and approaches to treatment are very different. Except for the benefits of joint replacement, there is almost no common ground. Confused yet? RA is sort of one of the difficult child dxes... unpredictable (usually), debilitating (often), and yet, never quite the total "bad guy" that it's made out to be... And yes, if you can learn how to "parent" it, it really helps! [/QUOTE]
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