Thank you!!! That is quite a list. I didn't know all that.
The question is, the elevated ANAs were all 5 and 6 years ago. It's been neg for the past 5 years along w/ anti Sm, anti dsDNA, sed, ect. Everything has been neg for the past 5 years.
Do we totally disregard all the elevated ANAs that were ran in '07 and '08????
If I weren't still having tons of symptoms, I'd say forget about it all and lets get back to playing baseball.
Hi!
Generally a high ANA titre indicates an autoimmune disease (SLE, Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, scleroderma, polymyositis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, dermatomyositis, primary biliary cirrhosis, Addison disease, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and type 1 diabetes mellitus). Mixed connective tissue disorders also cause a high ANA. The staining pattern is important.
Homogenous ANA staining pattern is very specific of lupus. If the ANA staining pattern is homogenous, then other tests which need to be done are Smith Antibody (Anti-Smith), Anti-dsDNA, and Anti-ssDNA. Other than that, yes, symptom wise, it does sound like lupus. Hope this helps. Take care!
The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.
Your immune system has probably kept the underlying infectious condition
that caused your high ANAs, in check. As long as your symptoms are
manageable, you can go out and play baseball or whatever else you can do
to enjoy life!
I would say, for know, consider pursuing TOTAL balance (body, spirit and mind)
and layoff the pursuit of looking for the appropriate medical label,
specially in light that there's no known effective treatment
-other than symptom management-
in most of these suspected conditions.
Blessings!
Niko