seronegative arthritis with normal bloods??

[nellietheelephant]

Hi i was wondering if you can have a seronegative arthritis with normal bloods. I have IBD and the last couple of weeks have had bad migrating joint pain. Mr CRP and ESR were normal. can it still be arthritis? they have done another bld test to check rheumatoid factor which i expect will be negative, and also immunoglobulins whihc dont know if that will show much.
thanks

[nellietheelephant]

how come it says on the arthritis uk website that seroneg arthritis often has a normal CRP and ESR then? is that not true? and it was also on the news that it can take up 18-24 months for bloods to show anything even in rheumatoid arthritis. is this not true?
and what else would it be?
thanks

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

While CRP is an acute phase reactant and may not be elevated in chronic conditions, ESR is commonly elevated with chronic inflammations and makes inflammation an unlikely possibility; though it may not completely rule out the possibility of one. Diagnosis in such situation would have to rely on other supporting findings/ tests. It would be best to discuss the situation in detail with your treating rheumatologist.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!