Rheumatoid factor is an autoantiboscope that can occur in certain autoimmune diseases and acts against IgG, forming immune cells that attack and destroy healthy tissues, such as joint cartilage, for example.
In this way, the identification of rheumatoid factor in the blood is important to look for the presence of autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren syndrome, which normally have elevated values of this protein.
- Rheumatoid factor medication is obtained by obtaining a small blood sample that should be taken from a lab for at least 4 hours.
The resulting blood is sent to the laboratory, where the presence of the rheumatoid factor will be identified, according to the laboratory, the identification of this factor is made by the latex sample or the Waaler-Rose sample, in which a sample-specific reaction is added to a drop of the patient’s blood, then homogenized and after 3 to 5 minutes , there is no agglutination, in the event that the presence of lumps is verified, a positive result is necessary, and further dilutions are necessary to verify the presence of rheumatoid factor present and with it, the degree of the disease.
As these problems can take longer, automatic analysis, called nepherometry, is more practical in laboratory analysis, allowing several problems to be performed with the same time and dilutions of automatic tests, being only informed to the professional. of the lab, and the doctor the result of the analysis.
The result is reported in the values, considered normal for an auction title 1:20, however, results greater than 1:20 in the Indians necessarily required rheumatoid arthritis, so the doctor was able to request more tests.
Rheumatoid factor is positive when its values are around 1:80, suggesting rheumatoid arthritis, between 1:20 and 1:80, which may mean the presence of other diseases, such as:
However, because rheumatoid factor can also be modified in healthy people, your doctor may order more tests to confirm the presence of a disease that increases the factor, because the test result is very difficult to interpret, you should always help your rheumatologist evaluate it.