Extra-articular rheumatoid arthritis | Arthritis Information

HI GUys, I am interested to know how many of us have extra-articular involvement (lungs/heart/eyes organs etc) or straightforward polyarticular arthritis, (many joints). Both are awful to have, is it true that only sero-positive have extra-articular?

My eyes are involved with episcleritis, skin on scalp and ocasionally my lungs so my RD said I have Extra-articular RA.Thanks for any input, Janie.
I have straight forward highly destructive polyarticular arthritis. NO extraarticular involvement at all. I'm seropositive and have had this thing for abt 24 yearsI'm into this 16 months. So far it's just joints for me. Lately I have been noticing a dry mouth and bloodshot eyes and have been wondering about sojurns but I have not mentioned it to the doctor or looked it up on line. I have extra-articular with damage to 6 joints and most joints involved. Also have cardiac and pulmonary disease directly related to RA. Was sero-negative for 5 years and then severe onset and turned sero-positive and have remained sp for 6 years until clinical remission. LindyJanie - even though it isn't official, I classify myself as extra-articular involvement (lungs/heart/eyes organs etc) as I have been sero-positive and my joint involvement has been minimal, no hot, red swollen joints. But I have had an infected thyroid, infected gall bladder, eye ulcers, and about 9 nodules in my lungs which are multiplying rapidly and getting bigger, but the special RA lung scan was negative - they don't know what they are. My ex the chiro picked up the first two back in 1995 on a flat plane xray and said they were calcified lymph nodes, which makes sense, and they have never gotten any bigger. The new ones are bigger each time I get a lung xray and keep doubling in numbers. And its hilarious when I go in for post-op chest xrays before my multiple surgeries and the xrays are always "normal".

Great thread. Cathy

janie.. what is your scalp involvement? I've discussed several times these bumps and sores I get when I'm "off meds" ... he says it's "nothing"

IDK.....

My eye involvement is dryness.. though I had a bout w/ uveitis? IDK.. what does that mean? In other words.. he's never said poly or extra articular RA

Got my first nodule in January. Showed up on my left hand index finger knuckle. Named her Betty. I've informed her not to get unpacked or to invite friends over -- she's not welcome to stay. Crazy eye involvement here!! I see the Opthamologist once a month. Pick an itis and I have had it in my eyes. Scleritis, epscleritis, keratitis, and now chronic iritis. Excuse the creative spelling...

My eye dr. is really frustrated. He is trying to get insurance to approve these contact lenses called Scleral lenses...

Scleral contact lenses are a specialized type of rigid gas permeable contact lens used for managing a variety of eye conditions. They are large, and typically their diameter is 18.2 mm. This is twice the size of a standard rigid gas permeable contact lens and larger than a typical soft contact lens. Scleral contact lenses are custom made for each eye. They are designed so the lens rests on the less sensitive white sclera, and vaults over the cornea. Additionally, the lenses are fit to allow no movement. These properties allow the lens to be comfortable immediately. A unique property of the scleral lens is that the vaulted section is filled with a saline reservoir which acts as a liquid bandage to help heal extremely dry or diseased corneas. The reservoir also masks irregularities of the cornea which can dramatically improve the vision in a patient who has diseased or traumatized eyes. It is not uncommon for someone who is legally blind from corneal disease or trauma to regain near perfect vision.

Anyway, insurance is not impressed and they cost close to a 00 per lense. Not happening obviously....

Hi Babs, I have had sores on my scalp for years , they are sore, they bleed sometimes when brushing my hair, and they always worsen when my ESR has escalated! First I was told they were a vasculitis, and then my skin specialist said dermatitis from RA, so he prescribed elocon lotion, which only helps minimally, nizoral twice a week and sebamed on other days, I have to strictly adhere to this or it gets so sore, do you have something similar? Regards Janie.

This Wednesday I have to have my ureters removed from their current position on my bladder and hopefully repositioned at the top. I have Vesicoureteral Reflux. My ureters seem to have gone nuts and they reflux the urine back up to my kidneys. The Urologist says this is a very rare incidence of Renal/Connective Tissue involvement, lol.

I didn't even know this could happen so there has been some damage.

The symptoms are re-occuring UTI's, like every 3-4 weeks and upper back/flank pain.

I am sero neg with polyarticular involvement. I do have very dry eyes, which was never a problem before. In the morning my eyelid is literally stuck to my eye and I have to peel it off. Sexy right?
For what its worth, all my blood work was done before I had any appreciable swelling. I think my RA was diagnosed very early because my orthopod is pretty with it, and he referred me to an RD. My RD thinks I'll be seropositive at some point... but really, who knows?
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