Things To Know About Seronegative Arthritis

There are more than a hundred different types of arthritis, with each form affecting differing parts of the body, having different root causes and also at times symptoms that can't be found in the other forms of arthritis. The common symptoms of all forms of arthritis, however, is joint pain and difficulties resulting from damage to the connective tissues of the joints. Because each type of arthritis differs, proper diagnosis is needed in order to get correct treatment for the specific type of arthritis.

One of the forms of arthritis that gives doctors difficulty in diagnosis is seronegative arthritis. Seronegative arthritis is actually a assortment of different kinds of arthritis that have symptoms that are similar to another form of arthritis: rheumatoid arthritis. This similarity is the reason why the different forms of seronegative arthritis sometimes is misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, but there are distinct differences between them.

The main difference, and the reason for the name "seronegative" is that those with rheumatoid arthritis are found to have the autoantibody called rheumatoid factor, while those with seronegative arthritis are found not to have this autoantibody. This, along with an analysis of the different symptoms, can lead to a proper diagnosis of whether the type of arthritis present in a person is rheumatoid arthrits, or one of the varieties of seronegative arthritis.

As mentioned before, there are different kinds of seronegative arthritis, and each of these forms affect different parts of the body. As with rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthritis doesn't only attack the joints, but also different organs of the body, which again is one reason that both can often be confused with each other.

Samples of this disorder include but aren't limited to: psoriatic arthritis, Reiter's syndrome or reactive arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

Psoriatic arthritis is a type of seronegative arthritis that is a consequence of psoriasis, which is a chronic skin condition. Up to thirty percent of those with psoriasis will eventually develop psioriatic arthritis about ten years after developing psoriasis. This type of arthritis is inflammatory in nature, and has five different types, which often can further complicate diagnosis.

Reiter's syndrome or reactive arthritis is a kind of seronegative arthritis that is caused by a bacterial infection. Often this kind of arthritis is difficult to identify, as the infection that caused the arthritis has often been cured or in remission by the time the symptoms are observed. Generally, reactive arthritis is a temporary condition, though up to one-fifth of those that develop reactive arthritis will develop a chronic type of this disorder.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a seronegative arthritis that affects the spine. It usually affects young males, aged 20 to 40, who will first experience chronic pain in the lower spine. This pain often spreads throughout the spine, into the neck, and may also affect the ribs, shoulder blades, hips, thighs and heels. Often those with this disease also feel fatigue, experience fever, and may be anemic as well. Up to forty percent experience inflammation of the eye as well.

By: Meredith Walker

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There are many other forms of Seronegative Arthritis, and diagnosis is the key to proper treatment. If you would like to understand more about seronegative arthritis and what natural remedies can be used to treat its various forms, consider ArthritisNaturalRemedies.com.