What do my abnormal T Cell Panel results & other abnormal test results mean/don't mean??

[TrixieStix]

It's common for people with ME/CFS to have normal results on standard tests, but in my case I have abnormal test results but I am unsure which can possibly be attributed to ME/CFS???

Testing done last week shows...

CD4/CD8 Ratio: 0.85 (normal range 1.00-3.78) LOW
CD4%: 35% (normal range 33-61%)
CD8%: 41% (normal range 14-35%) HIGH
CD19%: 8% (normal 9-23%) LOW
CD3%: 83% (normal range 57-87%)

Also in January my NK Cell Function was tested and it was only 4 which is of course very LOW.

In addition I have Complement System abnormalities...

Complement C3: 40 (normal range 90-187) LOW
CH50: 30.5 (normal range 42-95) LOW *this test measures overall function of the classical pathway
Complement C4: 13 (normal range 13-50)
AH50: 60% of norm (normal range is >or = 46% of norm) *measures overall function of alternative pathway

And also...

C1-Inhibitor Protein Level: 19 (normal range 22-43) LOW
C1-Inhibitor Functional: 85% (normal range 68-100%)

 

[Woolie]

I don't know a whole lot about this, but I immediately noticed your high CD8 T cells and your low CD4/CD8 ratio. These are apparently common findings in MECFS patients. On another thread, people have just been discussing a study by Ron Davis, who thinks that high CD8 T cells are a cardinal feature and might even play a causal role. He didn't measure numbers, but rather kinds. Still, high numbers is likely to be indicator too.

Here's the thread:
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...fs-immune-activation.53570/page-2#post-890628

I don't know what the other abnormalities mean, and I don't know if any of these things is specific enough to lead to a new diagnosis or treatment.

 

[heapsreal]

Cd8 commonly found high in active herpes virus infections like ebv,cmv etc. But its an educated guess as to which infection. If it stays high for several months it can be worth trialling antivirals for herpes infections while tracking cd8 count and total lymphocytes which will come down if its a herpes virus plus showing personal improvement.

Hhv6 and cmv really needs valcyte, but theres a few who have treated them with some success using famvir. Valtrex doesnt seem to work well on cmv and hhv6 but good for ebv.

What was your total lymphocyte count?

 

[TrixieStix]

@heapsreal This most recent lab work did not include a Total Lymphocyte count, but in April my "Lymphocytes Absolute" was tested and found to be 2.3 (normal range 0.7-3.1)

I recently learned about something called the "Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio" (NLR). It is a "systemic inflammation based marker". It's use in various diseases like heart disease, cancer, etc has been studied. I calculated my own NLR's from each time I had this lab work done the past 4 years. Interestingly last year when I had some kind of major CNS neuro flare my NLR was very elevated and it has been elevated at other times as well but never as high as it was last year during that flare.

As for CD4/CD8 Ratio, while it is low in some with ME/CFS in others it is high or normal. And other conditions can cause it to be low as well thus not specific.

At the end of last year I had onset of dry mouth bad enough to wake up over and over at night (now take Pilocarpine 3x day), so the possibility of Sjogren's was mentioned. Recently my eye doctor tested me using Schrimer's test for dry eye and sure enough I have that as well and was started on Restasis. I am negative for the 2 Sjogren's Antibodies but this is not uncommon with Sjogren's so now I'm supposed to go and get a lip biopsy to test that way. I've been putting it off as it sounds quite unpleasant. I do need to figure out if I have it though because perhaps treatment would help me to feel a bit better and also in those with Primary Sjogren's Syndrome...

"Significant predictors for the development of NHL lymphoma include low complements (C3 and C4), presence of cryoglobulins, low CD4:CD8 ratio...."

I was just seen by an immunologist at a large teaching university in regards to my low complement C3 and low CH50 (C4 is slightly low at times) as it could be caused by a genetic complement deficiency. Waiting to hear from the immunologist regarding the results of the lab tests he ran and what he thinks is going on.

 

[Woolie]

As for CD4/CD8 Ratio, while it is low in some with ME/CFS in others it is high or normal.

I did a search for this on PR some time ago, and the majority of respondents who knew their result said theirs was low - many more than the number who said it was high.

I don't know much more than that, and what I posted above. But I thought this might be useful to know.