Rheumatoid Arthritis Support

The symptoms of Felty's syndrome are similar to those of rheumatoid arthritis.

Patients suffer from painful, stiff, and swollen joints, most commonly in the

joints of the hands, feet, and arms. In some affected individuals, Felty's

syndrome may develop during a period when the symptoms and physical findings

associated with rheumatoid arthritis have subsided or are not present. In

this case, Felty's syndrome may remain undiagnosed. In more rare instances, the

development of Felty's syndrome may precede the development of the symptoms and

physical findings associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

Felty's syndrome is also characterized by an abnormally enlarged spleen

(splenomegaly) and abnormally low levels of certain white blood cells

(neutropenia). As a result of neutropenia, affected individuals are

increasingly susceptible to certain infections.

Individuals with Felty's syndrome may also experience fever, weight loss, and/or

fatigue. In some cases, affected individuals may have discoloration of the

skin, particularly of the leg (abnormal brown pigmentation), sores (ulcers) on

the lower leg, and/or an abnormally large liver (hepatomegaly). In addition,

affected individuals may have abnormally low levels of circulating red blood

cells (anemia), a decrease in circulating blood platelets that assist in blood

clotting functions (thrombocytopenia), and/or inflammation of the blood

vessels (vasculitis).


Adapted from the Wikipedia article Felty's syndrome, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki