Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

angelicasinensis t1_iu65asn wrote

my friend said she tried an IV antibiotic for her RA and it went away and never came back...

44

neuroimmune t1_iu6hljn wrote

She could have had Septic Arthritis, from bacterial infection of the joints

50

Alex_4209 t1_iu6yb58 wrote

This is more common than most people think, and providers often miss it on differential diagnosis.

11

talashrrg t1_iu7fqs9 wrote

Do you have a source on that?

5

Alex_4209 t1_iu7m6en wrote

I don’t have a statistic on misdiagnosis ready, I’m just a clinical lab scientist and have worked with several docs at two outpatient clinics in the last five years. Once at each clinic, I had docs misdiagnose gonococcal arthritis as rheumatic arthritis, and were surprised when the rheumatology specialists sent the patients back with antibiotics and orders for STI workups. They didn’t seem aware that N. gonorrhea could cause arthritis.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470439/#NBK470439_pubdet

Review paper says that in the 80s, data suggested that 14% of diagnosed arthritis cases were gonococcal in nature, but those statistics may not hold up in the context of today’s diagnostic rates. Regardless, arthritic symptoms in relatively young patients should definitely indicate for an STI workup in addition to normal RA testing and imaging.

12

angelicasinensis t1_iu73hwm wrote

Maybe that is what it is- she said she had some kind of bacteria in her joints, yeah....it worked though and she has had like 5 more kids since she healed it and she now has 7 kids and is a vet and is rocking life and seems healthy

9

Litldeer t1_iu70h8v wrote

It can go into remission for periods of time depending on the success of the treatment.

5