Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Rheumatoid Factor (RF) - What To Think About
About this test
- A small number of people have a high RF level but do not have rheumatoid arthritis. A small number of these people will later have rheumatoid arthritis.
- A health professional always uses the results of an RF test along with information gained from a medical history and physical examination before diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis.
- Cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) is an antibody that is found in the blood of more than half of all people who have rheumatoid arthritis. It is used to confirm a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Older adults who do not have rheumatoid arthritis sometimes have a slightly high RF level.
- Some people have rheumatoid arthritis and have a normal level of RF. The RF test may need to be repeated if rheumatoid arthritis is suspected and the first RF level was normal.
- Less than one-third of children who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis have a high RF level.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: June 11, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
