VZV IgG antibodies

[Schmoodog]

Hi. I am grateful for any advice. Five years ago, I contracted Shingles. Three months later, I was hit with what I now know is ME/ CFS. I have yet to find a doctor to help.

As recently as May2017,on a scale where the index of >165 is positive my VZV IgG antibodies were 2842. Yet the igM antibodies were negative. Of course my primary Dr said 85% of people have these antibodies. I’m wondering if I am a candidate for antivirals? I wonder if Stanford drs would look at the high count? Any input is appreciated. I don’t have to tell this community that I’ve been one ill dog and my heart goes out to each one of you who is fighting for your health.

 

[Schmoodog]

I am new to this community. I discovered the website through GOOGLE. I reside in a suburb of Detroit, MI, U.S.A. I have been ill for five years, and have tried Lyrica, Gabapentin, Amytriptyline to no avail. I currently am taking Cymbalta 60 mg which marginally helps. For all intents and purposes, I am housebound yet able to do some jobs around the house. I have seen a neuro (at University of MI) , a rheumatologist, 3 primary doc’s - none of whom officiallytreatME/CFS. All of my tests ruling out other conditions have come back negative. Wonder if the VZV antibodies are a clue.

 

[Wonkmonk]

I have the same: VZV IgG >2000. I had 9 months of experimental antiviral treatment with Valacyclovir, and it went down to VZV IgG 1100 in the last lab test, but it didn't improve my symptoms very much.

VZV is usually not suspected of causing CFS and the three month delay in your case also suggests it probably wasn't the immediate trigger.

EBV, CMV and HHV6 as well as enterovirus infections are commonly suspected of playing a role in CFS. Did you test those, too?

 

[Gingergrrl]

I was IgM+ for VZV for several years even though I have never had shingles and had chicken pox when I was 11 yrs old!

I don't know what it might show now but in my case no antibody tests can be considered valid since I've now done 1.5 years of IVIG. (But the VZV tests were long before I ever had IVIG).

 

[Hip]

Five years ago, I contracted Shingles. Three months later, I was hit with what I now know is ME/ CFS.

Shingles, which the reactivation of a dormant VZV virus in the body, is often caused in the first few months of catching an enterovirus infection (enterovirus is a virus linked to ME/CFS). The enterovirus infection weakens aspects of the immune response, which then allows VZV to reactivate and cause the singles rash.

So this sudden appearance of shingles might be because you caught enterovirus. Dr John Chia is the expert in enterovirus-associated ME/CFS.

 

[Schmoodog]

I have never been tested for EBV, CMV, HHV6 or enterovirus. Wouldn’t I have had to have been ill with one of these viruses to then suffer from ME/CFS?

 

[Hip]

I have never been tested for EBV, CMV, HHV6 or enterovirus. Wouldn’t I have had to have been ill with one of these viruses to then suffer from ME/CFS?

Often people may get a short flu-like or gastrointestinal illness from these viruses, or sometimes just a sore throat, when they first catch the virus. Then once the virus is in the body, it can trigger ME/CFS. You can also catch these viruses asymptomatically, ie, without experiencing an initial acute illness.

 

[Schmoodog]

So my next step is to get tested for these other viruses?

 

[Hip]

So my next step is to get tested for these other viruses?

Most of the good ME/CFS specialist doctors will test your antibody titers for enteroviruses (coxsackievirus B and echovirus) and herpesviruses (EBV, HHV-6 and cytomegalovirus), and check for high titers indicating chronic active infection. Some doctors will also check for Chlamydia pneumoniae, parvovirus B19 which are also linked to ME/CFS.

For enterovirus, Dr Chia found only the antibody tests by the gold standard neutralization method provided by ARUP Lab were sensitive enough to reliably detect chronic enterovirus infections. Other enterovirus testing methods may miss a chronic enterovirus infection. You might find this mini roadmap document of interest.

 

[Wonkmonk]

Dr Martin Lerner, who pioneered antiviral treatment for herpes virus induced CFS, also recommends to test several bacterial infections. These are:

Borrelia Burgdorferi
Babesia microti
Anaplasma phagocytophila
Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Streptococcal infections (using antistreptolysin O titer)

His approach is detailed here:

http://www.treatmentcenterforcfs.com/documents/mecfstreatmentresourceguideforpractitioners.pdf

 

[Schmoodog]

Thank you ever so much. I have an appt in July at the Neuro Immunology Clinic in Miami. I am hoping to find a doctor who would at least perform these tests.

 

[Hip]

I have an appt in July at the Neuro Immunology Clinic in Miami. I am hoping to find a doctor who would at least perform these tests.

Do you mean the Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine? If so, that's Dr Nancy Klimas's clinic, and you will be in excellent hands.

 

[Schmoodog]

Hip, Yes! The Institute. I have an appt with one of her colleagues. Are you familiar with the Institute? I have only read about Dr. Klimas’ work. I am hoping they can help me. I am very worried about being in the same level of pain that I was in this past summer.