What does a high c3 blood test mean ?

[Berrykala08]

Hi I recently had a c3 and c4 blood test at showed that the c3 was high @ 220. The C4 was on the higher side of normal at 35 what could this mean?

[specialmom]

Yes, I agree.  High c3 can be due to recent infection.  Also, if you have any autoimmune disorders as mentioned as well like lupus.  That's common if you have lupus.  C3 and C4 are part of the 'complement system' which is part of our immune system.  They are measures of proteins in your blood that help our antibodies fight off infection. Why were you given this blood test?  Are they suspecting an autoimmune disorder for you? I wouldn't worry about your c4, it's in normal.  Normal is normal. But yes, your c3 is elevated. When do you see your doctor to discuss this?

[specialmom]

I thought this article was a good discussion of the topic. https://www.healthline.com/health/complement#results

[Berrykala08]

Hi, thank you for the information. I see my doctor about it tomorrow. Theirs a concern that something isn’t quite right with my immune system. My white blood cell count has been consistently high for the last couple of years( my doctor runs a CBC on my blood like every 3 months because I have really bad anemia.) My white blood cell count is always between 12,000 and 19,000. They have done a Ana blood test a couple of times but that’s negative. I’m not really sure what’s going on.

[SassyLassie]

Hello~Have you had a recent infection or injury, sometimes the C3 can be elevated due to these factors. Also, if you have any autoimmune disorders, they possibly can be elevated.  Elevated C4 can be due to many causes, I would suggest discussing these numbers with your physician, if he/she is not concerned, then I would not worry about it.