Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Rheumatoid Arthritis, including details on treatment, symptoms, causes, medication.

An unusual case of weight loss in a patient with refractory rheumatoid arthritis.

Birns J, Ioannou Y, Shipley ME

Department of Stroke Medicine, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, Bessemer Road, London SE5 9PJ, UK. jonathan.birns@kcl.ac.uk

We describe a case of metastatic malignant melanoma with no primary cutaneous lesion presenting as weight loss in a man with refractory, seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The patient had undergone multiple investigations previously and the case highlights the importance of repeat assessment in elderly patients presenting with unexplained weight loss.

Published 2 May 2005 in Age Ageing, 34(3): 305-6.
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