Guest guest Posted April 4, 2002 Report Share Posted April 4, 2002 Hi Everyone, I just got back from my appointment with my PCP to go over the labs she ordered. She is not overly alarmed, but thinks it's definitely necessary to see a Rheumy. My out of whack tests were: Anti-Nuclear -- positive Anti-Nuclear Ab titer -- 1:80 RA screen -- positive RA titer -- 1:80 Do these numbers sound familiar to any of you??? She said she highly doubts I have Lupus, and is thinking it could be very mild RA. I'm glad we're getting somewhere and that it's not all " in my head " ! I KNOW I'm having joint pain and occassional bouts with extreme fatigue. Any input would be great! Thanks again for all of your help and support! Jeanne Toledo, OH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2002 Report Share Posted April 4, 2002 Hi, Jeanne. Glad you are back in one piece. Happy to hear that your PCP supports the idea of seeing a rheumatologist to help you figure out what is going on. I don't know what the specific reference ranges for your lab results are (that is, where does normal end and abnormal begin?), but here are some general guidelines: On the RF: " Rheumatoid factors are anti-immunoglobulin antibodies that recognize and bind portions of other immunoglobulin molecules. Current tests for rheumatoid factor detect only the IgM anti-immunoglobulins, but rheumatoid factor of all classes can be present. Procedures used to detect rheumatoid factor include the latex fixation test, which measures the ability of serum to agglutinate latex beads coated with immunoglobulin, and nephelometry, which measures the ability of serum to form immune complexes with immunoglobulin. Results of the latex fixation test are reported in titers, with readings of 1:80 or higher usually considered clinically meaningful. Results of nephelometry are reported in concentrations. The rheumatoid factor test is used most often to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. In an unselected population, its sensitivity is 80% and specificity 95% for this disease. However, because the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in unselected populations is low (only about 1%), the positive predictive value of the test in such a group is also low: only 20% to 30% of patients in an unselected population who have a positive test result will actually have rheumatoid arthritis. Most of the positive results will be false-positives because of the large number of other conditions that induce rheumatoid factor. " About ANA: " Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) react with a variety of nucleoproteins (4). In ANA testing, patient serum is allowed to react with a tissue substrate fixed on a slide. Antibodies bound to the nuclei of the substrate are then detected by a second antibody labeled with a fluorescent tag. The results are expressed as the highest titer at which fluorescence is detected. Although titers of 1:20 or 1:40 are commonly reported as positive, titers of 1:320 or higher are usually considered more clinically meaningful. " Source: http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1998/02_98/ward.htm Hope this helps you. [ ] GOT MY 1st LABS BACK... > Hi Everyone, > > I just got back from my appointment with my PCP to go over the labs > she ordered. She is not overly alarmed, but thinks it's definitely > necessary to see a Rheumy. My out of whack tests were: > > Anti-Nuclear -- positive > > Anti-Nuclear Ab titer -- 1:80 > > RA screen -- positive > > RA titer -- 1:80 > > Do these numbers sound familiar to any of you??? > > She said she highly doubts I have Lupus, and is thinking it could be > very mild RA. I'm glad we're getting somewhere and that it's not > all " in my head " ! I KNOW I'm having joint pain and occassional bouts > with extreme fatigue. Any input would be great! > > Thanks again for all of your help and support! > > Jeanne > Toledo, OH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 4, 2002 Report Share Posted April 4, 2002 Thanks ! Here are my results with the lab's norm. Sedrate-- 25 (norm 15) ANA Titer-- 1:80 (norm of <40) RA Titer-- 1:80 (norm of <20) Jeanne > Hi, Jeanne. Glad you are back in one piece. Happy to hear that your PCP > supports the idea of seeing a rheumatologist to help you figure out what > is going on. > > I don't know what the specific reference ranges for your lab results are > (that is, where does normal end and abnormal begin?), but here are some > general guidelines: > > On the RF: > > " Rheumatoid factors are anti-immunoglobulin antibodies that recognize > and bind portions of other immunoglobulin molecules. Current tests for > rheumatoid factor detect only the IgM anti-immunoglobulins, but > rheumatoid factor of all classes can be present. Procedures used to > detect rheumatoid factor include the latex fixation test, which measures > the ability of serum to agglutinate latex beads coated with > immunoglobulin, and nephelometry, which measures the ability of serum to > form immune complexes with immunoglobulin. Results of the latex fixation > test are reported in titers, with readings of 1:80 or higher usually > considered clinically meaningful. Results of nephelometry are reported > in concentrations. > > The rheumatoid factor test is used most often to diagnose rheumatoid > arthritis. In an unselected population, its sensitivity is 80% and > specificity 95% for this disease. However, because the prevalence of > rheumatoid arthritis in unselected populations is low (only about 1%), > the positive predictive value of the test in such a group is also low: > only 20% to 30% of patients in an unselected population who have a > positive test result will actually have rheumatoid arthritis. Most of > the positive results will be false-positives because of the large number > of other conditions that induce rheumatoid factor. " > > About ANA: > > " Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) react with a variety of nucleoproteins > (4). In ANA testing, patient serum is allowed to react with a tissue > substrate fixed on a slide. Antibodies bound to the nuclei of the > substrate are then detected by a second antibody labeled with a > fluorescent tag. The results are expressed as the highest titer at which > fluorescence is detected. Although titers of 1:20 or 1:40 are commonly > reported as positive, titers of 1:320 or higher are usually considered > more clinically meaningful. " > > Source: > http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1998/02_98/ward.htm > > Hope this helps you. > > > > [ ] GOT MY 1st LABS BACK... > > > > Hi Everyone, > > > > I just got back from my appointment with my PCP to go over the labs > > she ordered. She is not overly alarmed, but thinks it's definitely > > necessary to see a Rheumy. My out of whack tests were: > > > > Anti-Nuclear -- positive > > > > Anti-Nuclear Ab titer -- 1:80 > > > > RA screen -- positive > > > > RA titer -- 1:80 > > > > Do these numbers sound familiar to any of you??? > > > > She said she highly doubts I have Lupus, and is thinking it could be > > very mild RA. I'm glad we're getting somewhere and that it's not > > all " in my head " ! I KNOW I'm having joint pain and occassional bouts > > with extreme fatigue. Any input would be great! > > > > Thanks again for all of your help and support! > > > > Jeanne > > Toledo, OH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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