sedimentation rate during remission?

[awol]

Hello,

I have been having trouble getting a diagnosis for a long time. I finally have a new doctor who seems willing to actually look into my symptoms in detail, however, I am now going into remission, so whatever evidence there might have previously been might now be gone.

I read somewhere that the sedimentation rate test is a key test because if it is high, or even highish normal, that would exclude CFS. Do people in remission still fit within this rule? In other words, does this basic sign of infection/inflamation persist even during remission phases (quite sure it will come back the next time something stressful happens...). If all of this is caused by a permanent retrovirus, then I would presume the sedimentation rate would remain lowish. But if not....

Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[wciarci]

Hi awol,

My sed rate is always consistently low, but that is not the only lab test my doctor looks at. He also checks immune function, B12, D and a host of other things. My last lab showed a slight sed rate increase to 4 from 1. I am not sure what this means.

Wendy

 

[awol]

Just really REALLY hoping this does not scupper my diagnosis attempt. Back to label-less non-disease would be horrible

 

[awol]

realizing that my first post was kind of false science. Now I am wondering why a retrovirus might cause a low sedimentation rate?

 

[Overstressed]

realizing that my first post was kind of false science. Now I am wondering why a retrovirus might cause a low sedimentation rate?

That's new to me, having CFS and low sedimentation rate. I didn't know that. Mine is going upwards, since my infection. According to my familydoc, it means the immune system is active, and with a chronic infection, this makes sense. But low values ?

OS.

 

[jessjb79]

I've read that too. Mine's been tested three times - 0,0,1. Two general practioners have made a comment on how unusual this was (but perhaps not in cfs). Wonder what a cfs doc would say... and I wonder if this hypercoagulation fits in with low blood volume and POTS that CFS patients often have. I wish I was a doctor or scientist....

 

[jessjb79]

also - I remembered there is another thread that kind of touches on this topic - I think it was a thread about salivary glands or sjorens....

 

[awol]

I've read that too. Mine's been tested three times - 0,0,1. Two general practioners have made a comment on how unusual this was (but perhaps not in cfs). Wonder what a cfs doc would say... and I wonder if this hypercoagulation fits in with low blood volume and POTS that CFS patients often have. I wish I was a doctor or scientist....

I think this actually was a Klimas quote

http://www.medhelp.org/tags/health_...c--Blood-Tests-to-Help-Diagnose-CFS?hp_id=376

 

[srmny]

Thanks for the link to the diagnostic tests. My sed rate has never been higher than 3 and stays closer to 0.

 

[awol]

Can anyone distill this for me? Is there an explanation in here somewhere as to why XMRV might cause low ESR (hypergoagulation) ?

http://www.prohealth.com/fibromyalgia/blog/boardDetail.cfm?id=385810

 

[Athene]

My sedimantation rate has been measured lots and is usually low, but has sometimes been normal, when I was in remission or semi-remission. It seems to vary wildly.

 

[curry]

That's an interesting thread.

My blood test has been normal, the only unusual value was the low ESR of 2 mm/h, and some elevated albumin. So I've been looking further into what causes low ESR and found the following:

"ESRs approaching zero are characteristic of trichinosis or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Utilizing this point, if a patient is presumed to have CFS and the ESR is in the normal or elevated range, then an alternate diagnosis should be entertained.

The ESR is also low in cachexia, severe anemia, massive hepatic necrosis, DIC, polycythemia vera, hypofibrinogenemia, and macroglobululinema."

Source: Infectious Diseases, Sherwood L. Gorbach


I am wondering if others also have low ESR, and if they have done some further investigation into this.

 

[MarxyGrouch]

Many extremely interesting posts have been deleted from this thread unfortunately. It used to be better.

 

[August59]

Why would they be deleted?