Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Share your numbers?

So I'm newly diagnosed, and I'm just wondering what other people's lab work typically looks like. This is my first real flare, and my numbers are:
ESR: 5
crp: 5
RF: 12
ANA: 1:320 speckled


??? Doesn't look like much, especially the inflammatory markers, although I'm 34 and otherwise extremely healthy so I don't think my crp would be 5 if it were not for the inflammation. Keep in mind also, I have really only had significant symptoms for about 6-8 weeks (more intermittent ones for almost a year) - my sister has the disease, so I get the luxury of nearly instant diagnosis, instead of the frustration of many years of searching to find out what's wrong.

What are your numbers like? What's good? What's not? And anyone know what this ANA + thing is about? Is that all AS or something else?? (of course I'll ask my doctor when I get referred but just wondering from all you experts who have been living it!)

Thanks!

though elevated ESR and CRP numbers can be helpful for diagnosis, following progression of disease, etc, it is also pretty common for people with seronegative spondyloarthropathies to have very low numbers. that said, my ESR and CRP numbers are both between 5-10 whenever they are measured, over the last few years (had gastro issues since 1993 and arthritis / tendon / SI issues since 1998). and like you, i can think of no other reason for why they'd be elevated at all. ANA and RF have both been negative for me, also very common for the seronegative spondyloarthropathies, why i think they are called seronegative if i'm not mistaken. and why i'm still not completely diagnosed, rather the things in my records are "a working diagnosis of seronegative spondyloarthropathy", "inflammatory arthritis", "enthosopathy". now they are wondering if maybe its IBD related as i have some gastro issues as well. oh well, some mysteries are harder to crack than others. glad you got a dx so fast! and welcome if i didn't say so already!

Hi Sarah, when I was first diagnosed, my ESR was 28 and my CRP was 20. I was in horrific pain and when I came here and saw that some folk had ESR of 140 or so, I was blown away. If I was is such awful pain with my ESR, what kind of pain could they be in?!!

Thing is that while CRP can be helpful in determining disease activity, ESR isn't always. AS is unique in that for many patients, the ESR either doesn't elevate, or elevates very little as compared to actual disease activity.

Here's the conclusion I came to. It's all relative. Your pain is your pain and cannot, neither should it, be compared to someone else's. Your pain at an ESR of 5 could be comparable to someone else's at 100. It might not be. But none of us will ever really know.

Dr. I has been involved in trying to change the diagnostic criteria for AS so that ESR and damage visible on x-ray are not as prominent. Not sure if you saw the paper that was linked here last week, but it looks like the team involved succeeded (I can't recall whether this paper included Dr. I's work, or whether he was on something separate).

Can't speak to the other numbers as I am seronegative (RF) and I don't recall my ANA.

Really, you're lucky your sister has AS and that you've been referred to Dr. I. right off the bat. Between the two, you're setting off well (if you know what I mean).

Hugs,

My ESR is 29 and CRP 2.35
Not postive for RH factor.

I have heard when you have cancer, for instance colon cancer, the crp is around 2.50 or higher. I know normal crp is 0.00-0.80.

I have only been diagnosed with RA(for less than a year), I am waitng for my AS test results.

I have low numbers and am positive on all the marker.

From what I gather, the SpA is not doing much damage to my body, it's just going to hurt.

ESR: 65
crp: 3.3
ANA: negative

ESR 40
CRP 90

My ESR and CRP are like yours . . . very low, even in full flare (like wheelchair flare). This confuses my docs. It caused one of them to try to mug me of my AS dx and say I only have Fibromyalgia, but she was later proven to be a ditz. "Ankylosing Spondylitis is only in your spine, and not anywhere else. That's why the name has Spond in it. So you see, your hands don't really hurt."

Other than her, my docs all agree that I DO have AS, plus secondary FMS, but that I just have really low inflamm readings.

I actually have no idea about ANA.

-Bridget

Just for the record - when you have a bacterial septicaemia (blood infecton) the CRP can go up to 400!!.

AS is called a sero negative arthritis because the RF test for Rheumatoid Arthritis is Negative. The RF test is testing for the presence of characteristic antibodies.

A lasting positive ANA (Anti Nuclear Antibodies) indicates a concurrent auto-immune disease, ie, it is NOT diagnostic of AS.

Oh, great! I keep saying that I am not a science person, yet ya'll keep giving me more specific info. Sheesh!