Mixed Connective Tissue Disease

Mixed connective tissue disease commonly abbreviated as MCTD, is an autoimmune disease characterized by the presence of elevated blood levels of a specific

autoantibody

, now called anti-U1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) together with a mix of symptoms of

systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)

,

scleroderma

, and

polymyositis

.
MCTD is a rare condition
Symptoms

Fatigue

common

Muscle pain

common

Joint stiffness

  • Difficulty moving elbow, Limited ankle movement, Difficulty moving knee, Difficulty moving wrist

or Difficulty moving toes

or Difficulty moving shoulder

or Difficulty moving fingers

common

Fingers color changes

common

Fever

  • Lasting 4 weeks or more

  • With chills

  • Greater than or equal to 38°C (100.4°F)

common

Pain in toes

or Joint pain

  • In fingers

  • Shoulder pain that doesn't radiate

  • Severe

  • Recurrent

  • Occurs or worsens when joint is used or stressed

  • At wrist

  • Pain often wakes the patient from sleep

  • Both sides of the body

  • Elbows

  • Knees

common

Cough with mucus or without mucus

  • Occurs or worsens at night

  • Lasting 4 weeks or more

common

Skin rash and redness

  • At abdomen, At chest, At face

common

Enlarged fingers

or Enlarged wrist

common

Chest discomfort

  • Left side, Right side, Center of the chest

common

Difficulty breathing

  • Occurs or worsens with exertion

  • Recurrent

common

Pain in ankle region without achilles tendon

Painful swallowing

or Swallowing difficulties

or Throwing up

Frequent urination

or Decreased urine

Treatment
Although MCTD was originally described as a disease with a good treatment response to corticosteroids, the treatment of the disease is based on the specific manifestations and clinical complications, similar to how other signs and symptoms are treated in another connective tissue disease.
Recommended specialist

If you have Mixed Connective Tissue Disease, then a visit to a rheumatologist is highly recommended.

Contact a

Rheumatologist

Support

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