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867582 tn?1311627397

Regarding Rheumatoid Arthritis screen

Hey folks,

I recently learned that you can have a negative lab result for rheumatoid factor and still have rheumatoid arthritis.
Supposedly about 20% of people with RA do have negative lab testing for it.

Regards,

WAF
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Avatar universal
I also tested negative the first time with my PCP. My sister had the same result and told me about a new company called Imaware. The test is done by mail and the team answered all my questions. My test came back positive and the results are accepted by doctors. Hope this helps.
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428506 tn?1296557399
The short-comings of diagnostic tests and the need for careful clinical diagnosis is also prevasive in the Lyme disease community.  Even with positive test results, many physicians are reluctant to diagnose Lyme or related tick-borne diesease, especially in late-stage cases, owing to the controversies in the medical community regarding how to treat.  

Throid disorders can also be tricky to diagnose, and doctors disagree on the ranges of thyroid hormonoes that define the normal or hypo categories.

It is frustrating to know that your diagnosis/treatment may hinge on which doctor you happen to see, and that there are not more universally accepted testing practices, interpretations, and diagnositic procedures.

Helpful - 0
867582 tn?1311627397
Thanks for the info!  And I so agree with you about the medical mentality out there today, putting all the weight on diagnostic studies while totally disregarding patient symptoms.  

Now, if we could only develop a list of doctors' names who actually listen to their patients and use more gut-instinct coupled with medical knowledge to diagnose!  I think that is how the "old-fashioned" MDs used to do it.

WAF
Helpful - 0
279234 tn?1363105249
TY for the info 20% is a good amount..Did you know that a lot of the blood test for the mimics aren't 100% reliable either? My mother who has Sjogrens Syndrome tested negative for the SS-B and SS-A blood panels, but was diagnosed through the signs and symptoms, and a positive lip biopsy. Most blood panels have a certain % of people that don't come up positive for the disease, but actually have it. They have to be diagnosed through other means.

...And doctors always act like blood panels and MRIs show everything and show the full picture.

Take Care
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