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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffRheumatoid factor test results are usually described as positive or negative.
- Positive rheumatoid factor test. A positive rheumatoid factor test result indicates that a high level of rheumatoid factor was detected in your blood. A higher level of rheumatoid factor in your blood is closely associated with autoimmune disease, particularly rheumatoid arthritis. But a number of diseases and conditions can raise rheumatoid factor levels. Some healthy people have positive rheumatoid factor tests, though it's not clear why.
- Negative rheumatoid factor test. A negative rheumatoid factor test result means that no rheumatoid factor or a very low level of rheumatoid factor was measured in your blood. Some people with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis don't have high levels of rheumatoid factor in their blood.
A number of diseases and conditions can raise rheumatoid factor levels, including:
- Cancer
- Chronic infections
- Cirrhosis
- Cryoglobulinemia
- Inflammatory lung diseases, such as sarcoidosis
- Mixed connective tissue disease
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
Other tests and procedures may determine the specific disease or condition that caused a positive rheumatoid factor test.
- Shmerling RH. Origin and utility of measurement of rheumatoid factors. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 2, 2008.
- Tighe H, et al. Rheumatoid factor. In: Harris ED, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/103645283-2/0/1257/0.html. Accessed Sept. 2, 2008.
- Rheumatoid factor. Lab Tests Online. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/rheumatoid/multiprint.html. Accessed Sept. 8, 2008.
- Chang-Miller A (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. Sept. 20, 2008.
