Rheumatoid Arthritis May Be Related to Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

[icnmgrjill]

Phil Hanno reviews yet another research study for the Medical News Today website that discusses a small research study which find a correlation between some rheumatoid arthritis patients with bladder symptoms. It's interesting... but not something that we should generalize on.

Read it now at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=46693

Jill

[ICLori]

Very interesting! Thank you, Jill, great article! I've been very curious lately as to whether or not some cases of IC might be autoimmune in nature, and this article raises my curiosity level about that even higher. I hope that more research will be done soon.

Blessings,
Lori

[green_the_fish]

I agree; very interesting article!

Personally, I do believe that IC is an autoimmune disease in most, if not all, cases.

Thanks for posting this for us, Jill :)

[racegirl82006]

I too believe it is autimmune. Since I was diagnosed with having psoarisis then psoratic (sp? arthritis), IC. ALL symtoms came about at once but too long time to diganois. I just woke up one day with symtoms of all 3.


Angie

[Silverfox]

Thanks Jill, great to see the researchers taking a closer look at those who suffer PBS/IC. These PBS/IC patients certainly are deserving of attention and a great deal more.

We have four of us closely related family members with PBS/IC. None of us have been found to have any autoimmune disease. We have all been diagnosed with the same genetically inherited low thyroid disease. (not autoimmune Graves and not autoimune Hashimoto's) In our congenital low thyroid disease we are unable to convert the T4 hormone into T3 due to a inborn lack of an enzyme. When we were treated with proper thyroid hormones, our arthritic symptoms (not RA) and dry mouth and eyes (not sjogren's SS) went away or improved. In my own situation I have made a list of nearly 75 separate symptoms (mental and physical) that I suffered with including the PBS/IC and most of these are totally gone and some have just improved.

My bladder and many other symptoms began in very early childhood, and I can't remember which began first. Of all four affected in my family, (Mother and three daughters) I was the most severely affected with intensity of symptoms and length of time with symptoms.

When I first told my story to my current Drs. at a University Medical School, they had just diagnosed me with severe neuropathies throughout my entire body.(sensory, motor, autonomic) In looking at my medical records, they noticed all the PBS/IC years of well-known urologists and urology treatments, and told me I was very, very rare..... recently, my Dr. told me about reading research showing that thyroid disease was among the related diseases to PBS/IC. My Dr. said his thinking changed about me being very rare.

Sincerely with warm wishes Silverfox :cat:

[sacausa]

I believe 100% that IC is an autoimmune disease. In my own case there have been various factors that have led me to conclude this. I'd honestly be shocked if it were ever proven that it wasn't.... to me, it's the only explanation that makes sense and being very analytical.... I NEED an explanation!!! Thanks for the article...