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Review
. 2018 Jul 11:2018:bcr2018225359.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2018-225359.

Neutropaenia and splenomegaly without arthritis: think rheumatoid arthritis

Fawad Aslam  1 , Rabia S Cheema  2 , Michael Feinstein  3 , April Chang-Miller  1
Affiliations
Review

Neutropaenia and splenomegaly without arthritis: think rheumatoid arthritis

Fawad Aslam et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Felty syndrome(FS) is an uncommon, but severe, extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It occurs in patients with longstanding RA. It is extremely rare for RA to present as FS or develop after initially presenting as neutropaenia and splenomegaly. We describe a case of 47-year-old woman who was diagnosed simultaneously with FS and possible RA after testing positive for anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, but a negative rheumatoid factor. She had an excellent response to methotrexate. We review the existing literature of such cases and emphasise the importance of serological testing for RA in patients presenting with neutropaenia and splenomegaly, even in the absence of joint symptoms or prior diagnosis of RA.

Keywords: haematology (incl blood transfusion); rheumatoid arthritis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

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