What is your approach to a patient with an isolated positive rheumatoid factor, negative anti-CCP antibody, and no clinical or imaging evidence of rheumatoid arthritis?

In our clinic, we screen for hepatitis C infection in all patients with polyarthralgias especially if the RA factor is positive. A positive RA factor is non-specific and can be present in a number of chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmune and otherwise, including alcoholic liver cirrhosis, hepa...

This is a very common scenario, i.e. patient presenting with isolated positive RF and negative Anti-CCP and no clinical or imaging evidence of rheumatoid arthritis. RF is very non-specific, and we screen these patients clinically and serologically for other connective tissue diseases (especially Sjo...

There are a significant number of simply false positive RF tests especially as we know in women over 65. I simply discuss ONE HOUR of am stiffness with the patients and discuss the severe but relatively transient stiffness and gelling of OA. I try to do a thorough exam and while doing my exam, look ...