CASE REPORT - Manifestation of RA in a patient with hereditary hemochromatosis

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Rheumatol Int. 2006 Aug;26(10):939-41. Epub 2006 Feb 9.

Manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis in a patient with hereditary

haemochromatosis.

Medical Center for Rheumatology Berlin-Buch, Karower Str. 11, 13 125,

Berlin, Germany, dwernic@....

Articular symptoms are frequent manifestations of hereditary

haemochromatosis. The clinical signs of the arthropathy of haemochromatosis

are not specific and difficult to identify in case of co-incidence of

haemochromatosis with Heberden's and Bouchard's osteoarthritis or rheumatoid

arthritis (RA). Here the manifestation of RA in a patient is reported who

was successfully treated for haemochromatosis. Six months after terminating

phlebotomy, the patient presented again suffering from impressive swelling

of all MCP joints, showing strong synovitis in ultrasound, and from morning

stiffness longer than 1 h. ESR, CRP, IgM rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic

citrullinated peptide antibodies were markedly elevated. Based on these

findings the diagnosis of RA was made. Therefore, the high prevalence of RA

and haemochromatosis in the general population underlines the usefulness of

a screening for HFE gene mutations in RA patients with an atypical course of

the disease as well as in patients with undifferentiated arthritis.

PMID: 16468045

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Retrieve & dopt=Abstra\

ctPlus & list_uids=16468045

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