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Dr. Andrew Rynne
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Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Have Chronic Body Pain. Have Controlled Hepatitis B. Negative RA. Taken Nurofen And Steroids. Help

My wife is suffering from chronic pain that seems to move all over her body. She has Hepatitis B but has that under control, She has been tested for Rhumatoid Arthritis but has come back negative. She has a positive reading for lupas and auto immune disease. We have tried steroids and pain relief such as nurofen but nothing seems to get rid of the pain. Any advice will be appreciated. Thank You
posted on Sat, 6 Jul 2013
Twitter Tue, 9 Jul 2013 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 9 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on
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Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for writing to HCM.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is usually a multiorgan, multisystem autoimmune disease.
As an orthopedic surgeon, I am confining myself to musculoskeletal manifestations of SLE. Polyarthralgias and polyarthritis eventually occur in 90% of SLE patients. The arthritis usually involves the small joints of the hand and wrists initially.
The antimalarial hydroxychloroquine is the initial treatment of choice. Its onset of action is approximately 1 month and full benefit might not be seen for several months. Hydroxychloroquine is also useful in controlling mild arthritis and fatigue. Beware of retinal damage with this drug.
For managing arthralgias, the first-line therapy usually consists of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen.
Short-term use of low doses of glucocorticoids (5–10 mg) might be necessary to obtain quick control over an inflammatory arthritis. Methotrexate is frequently used as a steroid-sparing agent.
So overall, you need an expert rheumatologist advice for the management of this condition. Hope this helps

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Have Chronic Body Pain. Have Controlled Hepatitis B. Negative RA. Taken Nurofen And Steroids. Help

Hi, thanks for writing to HCM. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is usually a multiorgan, multisystem autoimmune disease. As an orthopedic surgeon, I am confining myself to musculoskeletal manifestations of SLE. Polyarthralgias and polyarthritis eventually occur in 90% of SLE patients. The arthritis usually involves the small joints of the hand and wrists initially. The antimalarial hydroxychloroquine is the initial treatment of choice. Its onset of action is approximately 1 month and full benefit might not be seen for several months. Hydroxychloroquine is also useful in controlling mild arthritis and fatigue. Beware of retinal damage with this drug. For managing arthralgias, the first-line therapy usually consists of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen. Short-term use of low doses of glucocorticoids (5–10 mg) might be necessary to obtain quick control over an inflammatory arthritis. Methotrexate is frequently used as a steroid-sparing agent. So overall, you need an expert rheumatologist advice for the management of this condition. Hope this helps