A number of studies show that people with RA have roughly double the average risk for developing lymphoma, a group of cancers that arise in the blood. This is likely caused by chronic inflammatory stimulation of the immune system.
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Hodgkin's Disease.
High RF levels can indicate rheumatoid arthritis, but this is only one aspect of a full diagnosis. High RF levels can also occur in people with other conditions and in those with no health issues. Also, in some cases, people with autoimmune conditions have normal RF levels.
Recent onset arthritis reminiscent of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may be an early manifestation of an occult malignancy. In this report, we present two patients with cancer-associated polyarthritis.
Certain types of cancer are more likely to cause joint pain. Cancer that occurs near or in a joint, such as bone cancer and cancer that spreads to the bone, can cause joint pain. Lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and multiple myeloma are more likely to involve and spread to the bone.
Any bone can be affected, although bone cancer most often develops in the long bones of the legs or upper arms. The pain can sometimes be wrongly mistaken for arthritis in adults and growing pains in children and teenagers.
Lupus. Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease that affects many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, blood vessels, and internal organs. "The arthritis of lupus can mimic very closely that of rheumatoid arthritis," noted Dr.
Lupus and Scleroderma
The autoimmune diseases systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma often present with joint involvement that mimics rheumatoid arthritis. While lupus and scleroderma are two different diseases, they often overlap with one another.
Stress can trigger flare-ups of RA, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) . Flare-ups of RA can also: increase your risk of joint damage. contribute to poorer long-term outcomes.
The longer you're exposed to stress, the more destructive the inflammation can become. In a PLoS One study, people with RA identified stress as a trigger for disease flare-ups. Arthritis symptoms contribute to stress, especially when they're unrelenting. Constant pain, fatigue, and poor sleep create a vicious cycle.
The Epstein-Barr virus isn't the only virus suspected as an infectious agent in RA. Other examples include retroviruses and parvovirus B19, which causes fifth disease.
Patients with rheumatic diseases like Sjogren syndrome, mixed connective tissue diseases, mixed cryoglobulinemia, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have elevated RFs.
The disease is characterized by inflammation of the synovial membrane of multiple joints, often leading to joint destruction, deformity, and loss of function [2]. Epidemiologic studies have estimated the frequency of various cancers in patients with RA to range from 2 to 15% [3].
Inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also result in soft tissue masses. Even metabolic conditions, such as hyperlipidemia (high blood fat levels), can cause masses to form that may look like tumors.
Can multiple sclerosis be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis? Multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis share similar symptoms, so one condition can be mistaken for the other. However, this is rare because diagnostic testing methods vary between two conditions.
Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders.
Systemic manifestations and complications of RA—including pulmonary, cardiovascular, neurological, and musculoskeletal involvements; glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis (GIOP); and infection—which have significant impacts on the disease outcomes, occur in approximately 40% of patients [2].
Acute arthritis is a term that refers to rapid or sudden onset of joint inflammation and pain. Acute arthritis can be caused by several processes, including autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body mistakenly attacks healthy cells and tissues, causing inflammation.
Studies also have found that a lack of vitamin D is linked to rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease characterized by swollen, aching joints and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.
RA is symmetrical, where a patient feels symptoms in the same spot on both sides of the body, often in the joints in the feet and hands. Osteoarthritis, in contrast, begins in an isolated joint, often in the knee, fingers, hands, spine and hips. While both sides may hurt, one side is more painful.
As cancer can mimic the early systemic features of arthritis and patients will often delay seeking medical advice, clinicians should be alert to the possibility of co-existent disease and ensure careful assessments at clinical encounters.
Blood tests are not needed to diagnose bone cancer, but they may be helpful once a diagnosis is made. For example, high levels of chemicals in the blood such as alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) can suggest that the cancer may be more advanced.