Autoimmune Markers & ILD

[Guest guest]

Morning Air

Family,

I have been puzzling about various Autoimmune Markers that get searched for in

blood tests. My Skin-Cancer Specialist told me to get my blood checked for

these annually even if I’d had a previous negative result. So just had

them done again via my GP & when I rang for my results the Nurse said they

were all marked by my GP as ‘No Action’. I had a consultation

with same GP & he didn’t mention anything either. I got copies of all

the tests that had been done & after I got home & read them carefully, noticed

that lo & behold I had returned a Positive Result for Ro52 (ENA Marker) …so

I then had a follow –up consultation with Dr Google (the one bloke we all

have in common to help us out!)

This Ro52 seems to be an odd Marker when it occurs alone, the significance of

which is still being researched & discussed…it is known to be a

problem for babies whose mothers’ return this result in their pre-natal

tests. Babies can get a neo-natal form of Lupus. It also seems to be associated

with myosotis, scleroderma, sjogrens’…..with connective tissue

diseases in general. Research dated 2002 came to the conclusion that returning

a positive for Ro52 alone SHOULD be considered an indicator for Autoimmune, CTD

but the difficulty is that there is no absolute specificity for which one!

Because I have Reynaud’s’, a known companion to Scleroderma &

occasionally some of the other CTD’s I’ve always been highly

suspicious that I do have an underlying CTD. The Reynaud’s’ is

getting progressively worse but there’s no other real definitive skin

changes to point to Scleroderma. My cheeks have been bright shiny red with lots

of broken capillaries, for a few years now but it’s not what I’d

call a RASH…there’s the odd thickening on my finger joints but

mostly on the index finger that gets hammered in the garden…..I do have

allots of arthritic aches n’ pains but they could well be just wear n’

tear….I know there is a form of Scleroderma that doesn’t affect the

skin but internal organs only….nice thought that one… NOT!

My middle name is ‘Detective’..I HATE not knowing what is

what! I have a strong feeling that there is more to my ILD than is

immediately apparent!

Are any of you aware of whether you have had a positive result for this Ro52 ENA

Marker???? Do you also have Reynaud’s’ or a known CTD?????

Cheers,

in

Oz

IPF:

Fibrotic NSIP/UIP ??

Reynauds'

May

2007