Question

Early-onset rheumatoid arthritis with a positive rheumatoid factor is more likely to have

• A. Self-limiting disease
• B. More persistent disease activity
• C. Less systemic involvement
• D. Distal interphalangeal joint involvement

Hint:

Think of rheumatoid factor as a marker of how aggressive the disease is likely to be, not of which joints it hits.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

This question checks what seropositivity signals about the future course of rheumatoid arthritis.

1. Self-limiting disease: wrong, seropositive disease tends to be chronic and progressive, not self-limiting.
2. More persistent disease activity: correct, rheumatoid factor positivity is a recognized marker of a more aggressive, harder-to-control disease course.
3. Less systemic involvement: wrong, seropositive RA is, if anything, linked to more extra-articular disease, not less.
4. Distal interphalangeal joint involvement: wrong, DIP involvement is atypical for RA and points more toward osteoarthritis or psoriatic arthritis.

Correct answer: More persistent disease activity.