1. Does a high amount of RF mean that I have a bad case of arthritis?
High concentrations of RF may persist or fluctuate and do not necessarily correlate with the severity of signs or symptoms. While it is true that high amounts of this autoantibody are often found in people with active cases of rheumatoid arthritis, high RF levels may also result from Sjögren’s syndrome or other inflammatory conditions. Increased RF levels in your blood ccan also mean that you have endocarditis; systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus); tuberculosis; syphilis; sarcoidosis; cancer; viral infection; or disease of the liver, lung, or kidneys.
