Hi CindyLou,
As far as my understanding goes, an anti-SM that reads positive is related to more severe cases of lupus and an anti-DNA that reads positive often suggests that the person is at a higher risk for developing lupus related kidney disease. Your best bet would be to clarify this information with your doctor because I'm just a patient lol. I hope this helped
-Erica
Hi CindyLou,
I completely agree with your doctor. The way a doctor would know if you have lupus and your tests are negative would be through the American College of Rheumatology's issued list of the eleven criteria needed to diagnose lupus. In order to receive a lupus diagnosis one must meet at least four of those eleven criteria.
-Erica
I have rash on my face.
I have low white count.
I have neutropenia and leukopenia.
I have fevers.
I have sun sensitivity
I have heat sensitivity--the heat bothers me.
Hi CindyLou,
I'm not sure what unit the 0.04 result is in. Usually they're in mg/dl. Is that the unit used on the results of your C3 and C4 complement? The anti-RNP I believe is considered negative if it is less than 25, but I'm not positive-I'm sure Vee would know
-Erica
Also last year at this time the sed rate was 12. But my ANA was 640. It always stays at 320 and that's where it is now. But in April last year the pattern was still speckled and homogenous. Just in November it switched to Nucleolar and now is Nucleolar.
Hi CindyLou,
Your complement is normal, as your test results tell you. The complement would be low if your body was having a severe immune reaction due to lupus or another cause(others things can cause this to happen but I'm not educated as to what). These results when low usually indicate an immune response primarily in the kidneys. Also the c-reactive protein is a test which measures the concentration in blood serum of a special type of protein produced in the liver that is present during episodes of inflammation or infection. The lower the number, the less inflammation.
-Erica
Hi CindyLou,
As far as what you've told me about your labwork nothing seems to be out of the norm except for your neutropenia, leukopenia and sed rate. It seems to me that your lupus is very mild which is great!
Hi, Postie. (Erica, "hi" to you, too!) Based on what you've written in various threads, I can imagine (in my totally unprofessional patient way, that is) that your drs. are having to work very hard on your tests, your symptoms, etc.
It's obviously A WHOLE LOT EASIER for doctors & patients when symptoms and test results REALLY SHOUT lupus. As Erica has mentioned, anti-ds-DNA & anti-Sm are two autoantibodies that are considered VERY specific to lupus; so when either is found, presumably thinking narrows immediately to lupus. In my own mind, I think of these as "hard signs", not "fuzzy".
But I *think* both neutropenia and leukopenia occur in multiple conditions, not only lupus. Positive ANA *definitely* occurs in multiple conditions. So *maybe* these 3 findings are viewed as "fuzzy" and "soft", at least when compared to findings like anti-ds-DNA & anti-SM? (Sorry, I'm using made-up terminology here, because I don't know of any better descriptive words!)
SKIN can certainly tip the thinking to lupus, with necessary proof achieved by skin biopsy with immune stain tests. I think even *non-lesional* skin is sometimes biopsied. (It was my skin biopsies with immune stain tests that sealed my Dx. My bloodwork showed anti-Ro autoantibody, which is seen in lupus, Sjogren's, and complement disorders; BUT my skin biopsy results narrowed those choices to one = lupus.)
Postie, I'm CERTAINLY not guessing it's not lupus! I'm just conveying some *possible* reasons it's taken so long to get a firm Dx (which your rheumie seems to have given you?)---then TREATMENT (which you don't seem to been offered yet, right?) What a long haul for you! I hope your latest labs are back. Ask for copies, OK? Please post updates when you can. With big hugs to you, from Vee
P.S. I once read an article by a world-famous rheumie who said Dx'ing SLE is a SNAP, in a patient with, say, high ANA, high anti-ds-DNA, and lots of protein in urine. In contrast, MILDER cases are MUCH MUCH harder to Dx, he wrote.
