ASCA IGG/IGA Positive-But no Crohn's

[jcw1212]

Hello all..first i will list my positive tests then all the symptoms. My (anti-saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody)ASCA IGG (53.2, range 0-30), IGA (65, range 0-20), thought i had crohn's but colonoscopy was completely normal. Gliadin IGA (26, range 0-17), now on a gluten free diet..which has helped, was vitamin D deficent (took mass doses and now ok), boarderline anemic (although we believe that to be from my uterine fibroids-hysterectomy is scheduled).
Those are the only tests that come back really wrong!! Some others are slightly off, but not significantly.
I have had joint pain (mostly large joints, but small are effected now), fever, muscle pain, rashes (doctors have seen them but can't decide what they are), fatigue, back pain. And the more i try to be normal, the more i hurt (the doctors keep telling me to exercise, but i don't due to the increase in pain after ward). I haven't worked in 1 1/2 years, because i can't stand for long without paying for it later. I have been through countless doctors and countless tests over the last 2 years, I'm tired and just wish someone could do SOMETHING. I am unable to take NSAIDS due to allergic reactions, and can't do antibiotics due to allergic reactions to MANY of those! The only thing that seems to help is steroids and large doses, tried small doeses every day and it didn't help really. Does anyone know what the positive tests could mean if it isn't crohn's?

[Blog4Faun]

I’m ASCA positive both IGG/IGA and HLAB27 positive.  I am NOT sure why Drs even do the antibody tests because they don’t even fully understand these antibodies.  I am sick have joint and stomach issues ... At the end of the day ,  do NOT take any medication from LYME literate Drs,  I’ve been down that road and they are complete quacks who give tons of UNNECESSARY medication that do NOT help but may hinder your situation, especially all of the antibiotics they give, cause C.Difficile... Listen to your body - (as far as medication for Candida ?  I don’t think it’s a good idea - try a natural way diet, take care of yourself ...LIMIT SUGAR intake.  
I believe these tests are genetic markers and or showing possible precursors for some autoimmune disease.  (Best answer I can give) sick since 2011

[linus14]

Has anybody been told that the elevated ASCA IGG/IGA means they have candida in their gut?  I am seeing a doctor who said that if I don't have Chron's or Celiac I need to take an anti fungal (Nystatin) because the high ASCA IGG/IGA levels means that I have a yeast infection in my gut.  I am afraid to take the medication since I haven't had another doctor confirm this nor can I find anything about it on the internet.

[FRC23]

Look into Behçet's disease. Patients with Behçet's can have neurological manifestations, GI manifestations, skin problems, joint pain, mouth ulcers, and thyroid problems, and typically have high ASCA IGG antibodies. Usually, ASCA IGG can indicate Crohn's or ulcerative colitis, but if signs of Crohn's or UC are not found or indicated from a colonoscopy and/or endoscopy, the differential diagnosis is Behçet's. It's rare, so a lot of doctors don't know about it or how to diagnose it. Find someone who does, or show the literature to your doctors.

It is also sometimes associated with thyroid autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's.

Info can be found here. Show your doctors: http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/Behcets_Disease/default.asp

[mfdanielsrn]

Like a few others have said...CHECK FOR LYME!!!! My 22 year old daughter was sick for 8-10 years. 3 rheumatologist, endocrinologists, neuro, etc. finally got tested and was positive for Lyme. Had Gut problems, neuro problems, cognitive, fatigue, pain, had it all.

[Montey25]

By the way one of my worst symptoms is gastric. Lyme disease and co infections can mimic IBDs.

[Montey25]

Josse14 its funny you should say that. Spent 16 years so sick Finally in 2013 I was diagnosed with Lyme by a Lyme Literate Dr in another state. Not only do I have Lyme I have other infections the tick gave me. I started treatment about a year ago and I have slowly improved  I did a PICC for a few months and now I am on an all herbal protocol. Lyme disease and its treatment is so much more complicated that the public knows thats for sure.

[Josse14]

It sounds like lyme disease to me. Read the great book Why can´t I get better by Dr. Horowitz in NY asap! I´m sure it`ll help you a lot!

[tyelee]

I know this is much later than everybody else's but I've been having the exact same problems. High ASCA antibodies, digestive distress and pain,  diagnosed with severe gluten sensitivity, severe joint pain. Have had Hashimoto's (thyroid) disease for 24 years.  I don't have Crohn's Disease (had clean colonoscopy) but one of my friends had the ASCA antibodies and digestive pain with clean colonoscopy for a year before she started developing lesions. I don't want to develop lesions!  Anyway, I have been doing the Autoimmune Protocol Diet developed by Sara Ballytine, a medical biophysicist who has put her own autoimmune diseases in remission with the diet. It is working for me so far. I have no pain in my joints since I started it and my digestive issues are starting to resolve,   You can get lots of free info on how to do the diet at Sarah's site PaleoMom.com. Great stuff and great resources for those of us with autoimmune diseases that don't want to keep getting more. I feel like I finally have a proactive plan, and it doesn't include drugs.

[Stefanie4]

What does this mean???
I was trying to find out if I was allergic to wheat, gluten or had celiac disease.
Gliadin antibody IGA <3
IGG 9
I seem to have every symptom of celiac disease but am not sure what my #'s mean.
I also have had Radioactive Iodine treatments for my thyroid and am on 100% thyroid replacement. Not sure if that has anything to do with it either....  Thyroid TSH levels are normal range for me.
hanks for any help you can give!!!!

[khanon]

I have almost exactly the same symptoms and test indications that you have. A colonoscopy and many, many blood tests, stool samples, etc have all been inconclusive, so I've been diagnosed with IBS. I found a website that helped quite a bit (www.helpforibs.com), but I had to modify the advice from this website slightly (through trial and error) in order to best control my symptoms.

I bought both of her books, but I only use the cookbook to give me a good idea of what to try eating, not as the end-all-be-all for my diet. The other book helped answer some of the questions I had, but again, I didn't find her information to be 100% applicable to me. Both books are definitely helpful and I recommend them to people with my symptoms, but with the understanding that it's not a diagnosis, but rather some things to try out. I think if you can find the book that isn't the cookbook in your local library, reading through it once or twice would be enough to figure out if your problems are related to IBS.

I was still having problems with fatigue and muscle/joint soreness (felt like I had the flu all over my body, but I almost never feel nauseous), so I tried yoga and meditation. I know longer have fatigue or muscle/joint soreness since I started doing yoga every morningbefore breakfast, followed by about 30 minutes of this meditation method called Yoga Nidra. I'm not sure if it matters what type of yoga, but I find Rodney Yee's voice relaxing. Amazon.com has a bunch of his CDs for sale for about $10 after shipping. I think the one I have is called AM Yoga.

There are tons of people who sell Yoga Nidra CDs, downloadable mp3s, books, etc, but the one I use is a free download from iTunes U (the section for Universities). It's from UCLA. If you do a search in the iTunes store for "nidra", you should be able to find the 3 files (I think they're titled "Yoga Nidra 01", "Yoga Nidra 02", and "Yoga Nidra 03.") in the iTunes U section. Again, they are FREE and they work for me, so I have not tried any of the paid downloads for Nidra, but if you do want to go with a paid download, or buy a CD, I would strongly recommend going with something you can preview before you download, since the speakers voice has makes huge difference to me regarding whether or not I feel relaxed while listening to it. The UCLA Yoga Nidra session (all 3 files make one session, totally about 35 minutes, I believe) is fairly religiously neutral and is not overly oppressive with the usually spiritual cheesiness that I have found when I've listened to some meditation sessions.

[Montey25]

No I dont have typical symtpoms of Whipple.

[slash5blake]

Have you been tested for Whipple Disease?

[Montey25]

I have symptoms almost identical to yours. My bloodwork comes back positive like yours, I have neurological problems like you. I had to check the name to see if I posted it. LOL. My dr said I did not have the typical symptoms of chrons but after the IgA (same as yours came back he say well you may have chrons but he still does not know. I know your pain and frustration. Anything new for you???

[Miniver]

Be sure the Antigliadin IgG antibody test has been run - this pinpoints a gluten intolerance, NOT necessarily celiac. Also request a total IgA - low IgA represents a problem with the mucosal membranes throughout your body (my son has this, as well as high Antigliadin IgG antibodies). This will help you in choosing what to eat...and what NOT to eat. Get rid of gluten - get rid of all carbs and all sugar and see if your symptoms vanish.

[xtraconz]

Measure your Total IGA and ANCA
Repeat ASCA as well
Do a TB IGA and IGG
Do a Capsule Endoscopy

[Lori707]

Last time I was tested for B12 was about 6 months ago. It came out okay. I'm seeing my rhuemy this coming week and would like to ask him about the Intrinsic Factor. Please tell me what this is and what pernicious anemia is. My Ferritin is always low at 11-12. Non of the doctors seem to care about this.
Thanks!

[dgirlnextdoor]

Have your B12 tested, and ask them to do a test for Intrinsic Factor Antibodies (it will test for pernicious anemia which can lead to all sorts of problems like you mention above.) I was just diagnosed with it today, and although I am still seeking answers on some other things, it explains alot. I have high IgG, but normal IgA, have had 4 colonoscopies, and they say nothing is wrong with me. I beg to differ.

[Lori707]

I have the same question. Last spring they found 6 bleeding ulcers in my colon and told me I have ulcerative colitis..maybe crohns also. I just had another colonoscopy and it came out clean. The doc doesn't know what to make of it. I've had joint pain and neurological disorders which got worse just after the first colonoscopy. Now my new rhuemy just had me take a test for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and it came out high! Both IGA and IGG.  I was also diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and osteo and another one. Whew!  I don't see my rhuemy for a couple weeks but I looked up on google what Saccharomyces cerevisiae means. It says something about Crohns and it also says it's a yeast. I am so confused.

You posted in January. Have you gotten any answers yet from your docs? Can you give me knowledge on this?
Thanks!