Re: Strange Illness For Over One Year, Please Help!

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Robert wrote:

There is the ANA that was positive which is interesting but not followed up
as far as I can tell. Reumatoid Arthritis RA titer serology or liver enzymes
are not mentioned.


Positive ANA is common in late TBD patients, anecdotally.



Other tests that should be run any time there's a suspicion of TBD are
for the ehrlichiae (HGE, HME), bartonella, and other rickettsia.  None
of these tests are highly reliable, clinically.



Leukopenia is seen in TBD. Serology sucks. I would do PCR testing to
supplement serology.

PCR sucks, too, even in spinal fluid. borrelia aren't just swimming around in body fluids, easily detected, or there'd be no serology controversy.

Serology is not ideal in interpretation of clinical situations, false
positives, past infections, subclinical infections etc.

I don't believe in false positive results, that's a non fact created out of whole cloth by the same folks who tell you their Lyme tests are 99% accurate. If you have clinical symptoms *and* any Bb specific bands, for instance, I believe a good clinician should treat, once other likely causes are ruled out.


That's a problem with serology as you stated.


Yes, for a host of reasons, like genetic heterogeneity, evasion of immune detection by cloaking in host proteins, shedding cell walls, immunomodulation by pathogens, and diseases spread by ticks that we have no names and no tests for yet. :-/

Susan
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