Do you find the CD57 test to be of value in gauging treatment progress or progression of disease?
Yes, with a major qualifier. I do feel that CD57 is a useful marker in the majority of patients. If CD57 is below 40, then that is a good indicator of the activity of the disease. One can then use this information to help direct the decision making process with respect to intervention or treatment. I generally use the concept that Joe Burrascano, MD has defined. If CD57 has been shown to be low and you can get it back above 120, generally this is associated with an improved sense of well-being, improved health, and decreased risk for recurrence of symptoms. This is not an absolute, however, and the major qualifier is that in those people who clinically have Lyme but CD57 is well within the normal range or even high, these patients generally have co-infections and most often, Babesia. In some cases, treatment of co-infections will result in a drop in CD57. It may be the case that when you are treating one co-infection which may have somehow been suppressing the activity of the Borrelia, Borrelia may then move into a more active state and CD57 may drop. This can be difficult to sift through. If CD57 is elevated and the patient is presenting with many of the symptoms, they likely have co-infections such as Babesia or Bartonella.
Posted by back2game (Member # 23927) on :
Guess I'm in the minority. CD57 is 323. Negative for Babs and Bart. Highly positive per LLMD for BB.
House-bound for 1 year.
One of the many reasons I'm thinking mine is MS or ALS now.
Posted by 5vforest (Member # 29365) on :
back2,
seronegative for babs and bart doesn't necessarily mean you're not infected. is your doctor sure that you don't have any co-infections? have you tried treating them?
Posted by AnnaOD20 (Member # 29942) on :
I find the CD57 helpful in my case. It was a 48 when I was initially tested and then was a 60 at my next testing (a month or so after starting treatment) and then another month later it was an 80.
I am going to request a script to have it tested again. It helps motivate me to stay w/ my plan as I see the number increase (although I do know it may not always increase).
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by 5vforest: back2,
seronegative for babs and bart doesn't necessarily mean you're not infected. is your doctor sure that you don't have any co-infections? have you tried treating them?
- Agree bigtime!!! Get your LLMD to give you a trial run of the meds for each ... esp if you have any babs or bart symptoms.
[ 04-17-2011, 10:21 PM: Message edited by: Lymetoo ]
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
Is that a quote? Good to know. I am currently treating babesia and my Bb is under cover with a CD57 in the 50's (forgot exact figure).
So I guess I can expect the lyme to become more active and my CD 57 to drop even more as the babesia is taken out. Drat.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
quote:Originally posted by ahmet ozbek: Do you find the CD57 test to be of value in gauging treatment progress or progression of disease?
Yes, with a major qualifier. I do feel that CD57 is a useful marker in the majority of patients.
If CD57 is below 40, then that is a good indicator of the activity of the disease.
One can then use this information to help direct the decision making process with respect to intervention or treatment.
I generally use the concept that Joe Burrascano, MD has defined. If CD57 has been shown to be low and you can get it back above 120,
generally this is associated with an improved sense of well-being, improved health, and decreased risk for recurrence of symptoms.
This is not an absolute, however, and the major qualifier is that in those people who clinically have Lyme but CD57 is well within the normal range or even high, these patients generally have co-infections and most often, Babesia.
In some cases, treatment of co-infections will result in a drop in CD57. It may be the case that when you are treating one co-infection which may have somehow been suppressing the activity of the Borrelia,
Borrelia may then move into a more active state and CD57 may drop. This can be difficult to sift through.
If CD57 is elevated and the patient is presenting with many of the symptoms, they likely have co-infections such as Babesia or Bartonella.
Breaking this up for easier reading for many here.
I've spoken with Dr S about this, because I have a fairly high CD57 count and I have Lyme.
He said that some people can have a higher count and have Lyme, just as some people with AIDS can have a higher CD4 count and still have AIDS. I do not have any co-infections that I know of.
Posted by Rumigirl (Member # 15091) on :
Dr. B and other well-known LLMD's have said that everyone that has Chronic Lyme has co-infections, unless, of course, you had them and fully eliminated them. And they take a very long time to fully eliminate, the same as Lyme.