[craftyRCC]

I think I read somewhere on this forum the Mayo Clinic has much a much larger range for AChR antibody testing results.

Does anyone have the ranges for Binding, Blocking and Modulating antibodies or where I might find them?

Any info would be greatly appreciated,

Rachel

[Jenn220]

Originally Posted by craftyRCC

I think I read somewhere on this forum the Mayo Clinic has much a much larger range for AChR antibody testing results.

Does anyone have the ranges for Binding, Blocking and Modulating antibodies or where I might find them?

Any info would be greatly appreciated,

Rachel

Unfortunately, I can't post a link to it, but the Mayo Clinic does have an informational page on its test for the binding antibodies. Do a google search for "Mayo unit code 8338". From there, you can probably find the info for the other 2 tests. If you have trouble finding it, the range for the binding antibodies is 0.0 - 0.2 nmol / L.

[AnnieB3]

Rachel, Mayo does not have a "larger" range for the testing. They probably have the most accurate testing available though. You can't compare lab numbers either, as in results from one lab cannot be compared to the ranges from another lab.

The AChR blocking test was discontinued:

Discontinued Test: AChR blocking antibodies
Mayo Medical Laboratories has discontinued Acetylcholine Receptor (AChR) Blocking Antibody testing effective July 9, 2009. AChR blocking antibodies represent a minority of the AChR antibodies and usually occur in association with AChR binding antibodies and are very rarely present without elevated AChR modulating antibodies. The AChR modulating antibodies test detects both AChR modulating antibodies and AChR blocking antibodies. The separate measurement of AChR blocking antibodies offers no information that additionally informs the diagnosis and management of myasthenia gravis (MG). Therefore, Mayo Medical Laboratories has ceased performing selective testing for AChR blocking antibodies in an effort to provide more cost-effective MG testing.

AChR Binding Test Range: Normal is < or = 0.02

AChR Modulating Test Range: Normal is 0 - 20%

I thought I should add that other labs still do the blocking antibody but since "everyone" seems to follow what Mayo does, who knows how long that will last.

Why do you ask?

Annie

[craftyRCC]

Annie,
I know many think of Mayo as the gold standard regarding MG, I was curious as to how much different their values might be from other labs. I know you really can't compare one labs values to another per say but it peaked my curiosity just a bit.

I'm trying to look at things a little differently as so much of my testing has come back negative or normal. I just wish my insurance had approved the MuSk test, I hope they will approve it in the future. I guess things may have to get worse before they approve the test.

Thanks for the input!
Rachel