What causes Felty syndrome?
The cause of Felty syndrome is unknown. It is more common in people who have had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for a long time. People with this syndrome are at risk for infection because they have a low white blood cell count.
What causes neutropenia in Felty syndrome?
Felty 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.
How do you test for Felty syndrome?
There is no single test for Felty’s syndrome. Physicians diagnose Felty’s syndrome based on the presence of rheumatoid arthritis, an enlarged spleen (splenomegaly), and an abnormally low white blood cell count.
What causes splenomegaly rheumatoid arthritis?
When the spleen becomes enlarged, it is a strong sign of infection somewhere in the body and can be caused by inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. The increased need for production assistance of white blood cells to affected areas causes hyperfunction of the spleen.
How is Felty syndrome treated?
The best way of treating Felty syndrome (FS) is to control the underlying rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Immunosuppressive therapy for RA often improves granulocytopenia and splenomegaly; this finding reflects the immune-mediated nature of FS.
Is Felty syndrome inherited?
The cause of Felty’s syndrome is unknown, but doctors believe it’s a genetic condition. It’s possible that the affected individuals need only one abnormal gene to develop the disease.
Can you lose weight with rheumatoid arthritis?
Also, while the condition can cause some people to gain weight, others experience weight loss. According to the Arthritis Foundation, an estimated two-thirds of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are overweight or have obesity. Weight loss can be a side effect of RA medication or a symptom of the condition itself.
Can you live without a spleen?
The spleen is a fist-sized organ in the upper left side of your abdomen, next to your stomach and behind your left ribs. It’s an important part of your immune system, but you can survive without it. This is because the liver can take over many of the spleen’s functions.
Is there a cure for Felty syndrome?
Felty syndrome is a rare presentation of rheumatoid arthritis that manifests as a triad of chronic rheumatoid arthritis, neutropenia, and splenomegaly. Despite this disease being described more than 80 years ago, there is no definitive treatment and management regimen for FS.
Can an enlarged spleen go back to normal size?
What Is the Prognosis for Enlarged Spleen? Depending upon the cause, the enlarged spleen may return to normal size and function when the underlying disease is treated or resolved. Commonly, in infectious mononucleosis, the spleen returns to normal as the infection gets better.
What autoimmune disease causes enlarged spleen?
Some people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) get a rare disorder known as Felty’s Syndrome (FS). It causes an enlarged spleen and a very low white blood count. It can be painful and lead to serious infections in some cases.