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@jba

I have Sjögrens as well as RA. Diagnosed in December 2020. My blood tests were negative for antibodies for both. I had been tested before by my internist, but since I was antibody negative, I was told I didn't have RA. If it wasn't for my eye doctor (treating for Dry Eye and dry mouth) questioning for Sjögrens, I would have never known. He referred me to a rheumatologist. I went to Mayo clinic and was diagnosed by MRI, x-rays and salivary gland scan. Blood testing still showed no antibodies. The rheumatologist said I was considered seronegative for RA well as Sjögrens. I would be interested in the statistics for number of RA patients who are seronegative. I am on methotrexate and Humira but am being switched to Enbrel in place of the Humira.

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Replies to "I have Sjögrens as well as RA. Diagnosed in December 2020. My blood tests were negative..."

Your question about the number of patients with RA who are seronegative piqued my interest, @jba. I did a quick Google search and found this interesting information from research that Mayo Clinic did (go figure).

The Number of People with Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Staying Steady, But More People Have the Seronegative Kind https://creakyjoints.org/diagnosis/more-rheumatoid-arthritis-patients-seronegative/
"The percent of people who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) hasn’t changed much over the past few decades. From 1985 to 1994, about 40 people per 100,000 had it; between 2005 and 2014, that number was 41 out of 100,000. What has changed, however, is the proportion of patients who have the seronegative form of the disease.

This information comes thanks to a new analysis that was conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers and published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Between 1985 and 1994, only 12 out of 100,000 people with RA were seronegative. Between 2005 and 2014, that number jumped to 20 out of 100,000."