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Complete joint pain and weakness

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September 8th, 2009
I was diagnosed with RA after presenting with complete joint pain and weakness, and an RH factor test came back positive.After seeing an RA spec.she said she suspected a virus, and my labs came back with a lower test result.Question is, what kind of virus, and what can I do about it?Aleve, tylenol arthritis, and ibuprofen just take the edge off, and she won't prescribe me any more prednisone.It has been 8 weeks now and no sign of improvement as I have been told to expect.Also, what is so bad about the effects of prednisone that 3 rounds of 10 days(not consec.)is all they will do?


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replied October 7th, 2009
Arthritis Answer A7469
Hi
Welcome to the forum!
If there is arthritis and the doctor suspects that there is a viral infection in the body, the use of prednisone will be restricted. The steroids reduce the immunity in the body. This lowered immunity can cause an existing infection to flare up. Hence your doctors are restricting the steroid, which will help with arthritis. The RA factor decreasing could be because of reduction of symptoms or because there is no flare up.
The virus affects people either with rheumatoid arthritis or infectious mononucleosis. The virus can be a parvovirus, Hepatitis A, B &/ or C virus, alpha virus, rubella virus, HIV virus, EBV, echo virus, coxsackie virus, or any other virus.
Treatment is generally by analgesics and nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs. Sometimes an antiviral therapy is given. If Hepatitis virus and HIV virus are detected they need to be treated in that line.
However without examining it is difficult to give a confirmed diagnosis and treatment on net. Hence consult your doctor and discuss these points. Hope this helps. Take care!



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