DOES RHEUMATOID-FACTOR ALWAYS MEAN ARTHRITIS

Rheumatoid arthritis is a clinical syndrome, and the diagnosis require s the presence of pain, swelling, and tenderness in the joints. In the absence of these features, identification of rheumatoid factor in the serum is of little use. Because rheumatoid factor is an immune comple x, it is a marker of immune activation and, therefore, may be present in the circulation of persons with a variety of inflammatory condition s that stimulate the immune system. Also, 5% of the healthy population have significant titers of rheumatoid factor in their serum.