Quote:
Originally Posted by glenntaj
--of the anti-nuclear antibody--specifically, the vasculopathies and connective tissue disorders (this is a very broad group of disorders that includes lupus, polyarteritis, Sjogrens, Bechet's, others) are certainly considered inflammatory conditions, as the autoimmune attacks here are systemic and affect multiple tissue types, though not always the same types--different antibody and cytokine combinations do have preferences for some tissue types over others, in general, which is why the syndromes are at least somewhat distinguishable, thought there are overlaps, and there is "mixed connective tissue disease".--see:
http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/antib...tml#vasculitis
Of course, these are hardly the only things that cause inflammation in the body--pure old traumatic injury does too (and compression is a type of traumatic injury), as do certain toxins.
In general, anything that alerts the immune system is likely to cause an inflammatory response, though the strength of it varies depending on what pathways are activated.
And, as noted, some autoimmune responses are so specific they may occur without noted rises in the usual inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein. |
I appreciate all this
You are awesome!
Does high ANA necessarily mean inflammatory?
I have no other markers of inflammation, just nerve damage so that would mean the response is very specific. My nerves are affecting my vascular system. I'm learning so much these days.
Also, through out this entire ordeal I have NEVER had an elevated body temp even in the days I could barely move. Isn't a fever classic for the autoimmune diseases bad enough to cause nervous system damage?
I also thought that since naproxen and ibuprofen have no effect whatsoever on my pain, that maybe would be indicative of whether my issue is inflammatory.
Also, my 12 year old who has the most symptoms compared to me has a completely normal ANA, so that is curious.
The whole thing is curious. I just can't see why the doctors aren't interested in even trying to solve this. Other than spending 15 min and checking off a few boxes on a lab requisition, they really don't even give it a second thought.