can arthritis of rheumatoid arthritis affect kidney?
By elzenren
@elzenren (192)
Philippines
December 4, 2006 7:47am CST
my 56 years old mom is suffering a from rheumatoid arthritis and she's worrying that her kidney might be affected because her elder sister had gout and now she's under going a weekly dialysis because of renal disorder. i'm also worried about the condition of my mom. just last month she had her CBC tests and resulted all negative including her uric acid all is negative and all of us are wondring what really causes her arthritis? can somebody with a good heart help me or advise me as what am gonna do with this?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@bbabita (20)
• India
22 Mar 07
Estimation of uric acid level is not a test for Rheumatoid arthritis , infact it is for gout , which is entirely different from rheumatoid arhritis. CBC is usually normal in RA patients. You should get her ESR and Rheumatoid factor checked, which are raised in RA.
RA itself does't affect kidneys unlike gout, though the medicines may affect.
@RosieS57 (889)
• United States
28 Apr 07
Since RA is an auto-immune disorder, untreated or poorly controlled RA can cause problems beyond joint damge. RA that is raging out of control can indeed mean damage to any organ, including kidneys. RA is nothing to monkey with. Regular labwork and Rheumatologist visits are crucial to make sure the RA is being kept in control.
Gout and pseudogout are more likely to cause kidney damage, however, since both involve crystals forming in the blood vessels and being deposited in joints and tissues.
If your mom's RA is being managed well and she doesn't have gout or psuedogout she's in no more danger of kidney probs. than anyone else. Liver and kidney tests are routine labwork for RA sufferers, ok?
1 person likes this
@gingerjo (170)
• United States
5 Dec 06
RA is an autoimmune disorder. The meds she may take can sometimes cause kidney and sometimes liver problems depending on the meds. Stress can bring on RA as well as a fall. If she isn't seeing a specialist she need to find one.
Hope this helps
