subject: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatoid Factor [print this page] Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatoid Factor
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Rheumatoid Factor
One of the most common forms of arthritis conditions prevalent amongst many people is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). RA usually affects the elbow, knee, wrist and the finger joints. Unfortunately, neither there is any evident reason for the onset of this severe condition nor there is any viable treatment for curing this disease.
If not treated properly though, this particular symmetric condition can lead to joint deformity that would last for the entire life. This means, if one hand were to develop this condition, the other hand is sure to pick it up as well.
The Onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis: RA is an autoimmune disorder. In proper English- the body's immune system develops a disorder that it starts attacking the body's own tissues. Now, what would trigger such an autoimmune response (the production of antibodies to deal with the body's own antibodies) is still a mystery.
Our body's immune system is such that, when it detects a foreign threat like a bacteria or a virus, it immediately attacks the external threat by producing antibodies and prevents the body from developing any syndrome or disease.
Researchers have found that T-cells (a subset of white blood cells) can be responsible for this autoimmune response. These T-cells are a certain kind of healthy bacteria that reside in the body protecting us from foreign threats.
But, an autoimmune response towards these T-cells causes a rapid production of antibodies in the body leading to the arthritic condition RA.
The above mentioned antibodies production is what the the mystery is all about. Why would the the body want to treat T-cells as foreign and attack them is totally confusing? But, the end result is the onset of RA for sure.
Rheumatoid Factor (RF): As mentioned above, auto antibodies are rapidly produced to deal with the T-cells. These auto antibodies are also called a rheumatoid factor.
The healthy population is usually not diagnosed with any RF and even if it is, it is only a meager 1-2 percent.
People who suffer from RA are sure to be diagnosed with quite high levels of RF.
The RF incidence is mostly associated with aging, although any one above the age of 20 is known to suffer from RA (sometimes, though very rare, even children are diagnosed with this disease).
20 percent of the people above the age of 65 are known to have an elvated RF.
Rheumatoid Factor Diagnosis: People who are suspected to suffer from arthritic conditions usually are recommended a blood test that would determine the RF. Based on the RF, the doctor would determine the respective disease a person could be suffering from.
Titer is the unit in which RF is expressed. A 1:20 titer is considered negative, meaning no disorder.
Anything between 1:20 and 1:80 is considered low positive and would indicate a disorder, but this need not necessarily indicate RA.
A high titer which is over 1:80 mostly indicates that the person is suffering from RA.
In most people, this titer rate is usually around 33 percent in the initial three months after the onset of the disease and reaches up to 75 percent within or by the end of the first year.
A word of caution though about the above titer rate, not always would a high positive titer mean that the person has to be declared to be suffering from RA.
In some people (nearly 20 percent), the titer can be negative, yet they could be suffering from RA.
Mostly, an increased Rheumatoid factor means that rheumatoid arthritis is worse, implying that the amount of damage the joint cartilage and lining have suffered is immense.
Since there is no way, one can prevent or cure RA, it is necessary to follow the RF titer rate for diagnosis and treat the degenerating bones accordingly.
