I’ve been reading up on rheumatoid arthritis, and rheumatoid factor, on Wiki. I haven’t managed to get the answer I am looking for through this or Google.
I understand that not everyone with rheumatoid arthritis tests positive for RF in their blood. But does it develop over time?
I will use myself as an example although I am not looking for advice on my particular case: I tested negative for RF when I was 22. Is it possible to test positive, say now at 26? Or at 36? 46? And so on? Or am I RF negative and so won’t ever be RF positive, even if I ended up with RA?
Is it similar to HIV in that it takes a while to show up in a blood test? And whilst I’m asking, what other disorders are there that might be the same?