About Karen Brawner Expertise I will answer questions regarding Lupus and any of the other 57 autoimmune diseases there are. I am not a doctor, but I do have systemic sclerosis with CREST syndrome so I know a lot about autoimmune disease and testing and trying to find a doctor/hospital that can diagnose the disease.
Experience I still have more testing to be done, but finally after 1 1/2 years of poking, proding, blood work, etc I have been diagnosed with systemic sclerosis with CREST syndrome. I will help you with your questions and help you find the answers if I do not know them through research.
Lupus - how to read my lab work-(psoriatic arthritis)
Expert: Karen Brawner - 6/27/2004
Question Karen, Please help me understand my lab work. I have had psoriasis since 13 and now I'm 34. I have seen the following specialists: internal,chiropractor,podiatry,dermatologist, and maxiliofacial. They all believe I have psioratic arthritis. Lab: CO2= 32.3,ALT=54, WBC=11.7,HGB=14.3,HCT=41.7, RDW=13.0, PLATLET COUNT=334, Lymphocytes=29, Eosinophils=1.3, ANA screen=negative, C-Reactive Protein=negative less than 6mg/L, Rheumatoid screen= negative less than 10IU/ML What does this mean? Do I have arthritis?
Thank you for listening, Angelica--------
Answer Dear Angelica, I can't really diagnose anything since I am NOT a doctor, but I can tell you what the possibilities may be based on HIGH or LOW lab work and the Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference... Also, not all doctors use labs that use Mosby's reference....
Your ALT blood work is high.... ALT test is to check your liver enzymes.... Possible causes of a HIGH ALT are:
hepatitis
hepatic necrosis
petatic ischemia
cirrhosis
cholestasis
hepatic tumor
hepatotoix drug
obstructive jaundice
Your Co2 is high, but I really can't be definitive about this test because often other blood test will interfer with it...
You have increased WBC and this could indicate the following:
infection'leukemic neoplasia
trauma
stress
tissue necrosis
inflammation
I can't tell you anything about the lymphocytes or eosinophils because I do not know if these are percentage or what and these are usually based on percentages and tests done with the WBC
A negative ANA screen just means that at the moment you do not have Anti-nuclear Antibodies, but if the doctor strongly suspection an autoimmune disease he/she should reasses your history and physical values and repeat the ANA in 1-2 months and if still negative should run more blood work like a SSA, CH50,IgA, Anti-cardiolipin to see if there is negative or possitive result in any of these...
Now according to Mosby's and I repeat I do not know what reference your lab is using, your Rheumatoid screen is negative "IF" it is less than 60 U/ml... So by Mosby's if your test is above 60 U/ml then your RF (rheumatoid factor) would be positive and this could indicate:
rheumatoid arthritis
other autoimmune diseases
chronic viral infection
subacute bacterial endocarditis
tuberculosis
chronic hepatitis
dermatomyositis
scleroderma
leukemia
cirrhois
syphilis
renal (kidney) disease
Also the C-reactive protein according to Mosby's is normal "IF" the test is LESS than 0.8mg/dl so I don't know if your 6mg/L is the same as 0.6mg/dl or not, so I can't be really specific, but an increased C-reactive protein will also indicate arthritis or other autoimmune disease....
Your HGB and HCT are within normal range according to Mosby's......
You have mentioned a LOT of doctors that you have seen, but none ofd these are qualified enough to diagnose ANY TYPE of ARTHRITIS...... You and your all of your medical records need to go see a Rheumatologist who is the only one qualified enough to run the proper blood work and co-blood work to truely diagnose one of over 100 types of arthritis and over 68 types of autoimmune diseases... STOP playing around with internal medicine doctors, chiropractors, podiatriest, dermatologist and maxiliofacial..... Get a referral to a Rheumatologist......
Also you can sort-of help to diagnose your self by doing your own research and setting YOUR symptoms to common symptoms of rheumatoid/arthritic diseases.....
This next web site will tell you about other arthritis types.
www.arthritis.org/conditions/diseasecenter/
I hope this helps and get to a Rheumatologist because if you do have any of these forms of arthritis including psoriatic arthritis, you need to be treated by a thrumatologist specialist, NOT these ofther people.....
