Topic: Coxsackie Virus and other tests I don't understand...
trueblue
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posted
What does it mean if I got a postive test? Coxsackie Virus A AB panel serum type 2 - 1:32 type 4 - 1:8 type 7 - 1:8 type 9 - 1:16 type 10 - 1:16 type 16 - 1:32 (edit: I had this result down wrong)
(reference range is less than 1:8) It seems the interpretation is positive Coxsackie B.
EBV VCA IgG Antibodies 1:160 EBV VCA IgM Antibodies = less than 1:10 EBV Early Antigen IgG Antibodies 1:10 EBV Nuclear Antigen IgG Antibodies 1:80 (reference range is less than 1:10) It seems that's saying primary infection, past infection and reactivation x 3.
DHEA-low Estradiol-high (other hormones look whacky but can't read the charts right)
Anybody know what to do or how to interpret this stuff? I'm baffled and have no one else to ask.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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trueblue
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no one? Oh, well.
I've got me a stack of tests from 2 different docs and no way to interpret the mess of them. These were just the latest ones. *sigh*
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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Carol in PA
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Perhaps you'll be able to find info about some of your tests here.
Carol
Posts: 6947 | From Lancaster, PA | Registered: Feb 2004
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trueblue
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Thanks, Carol! I'll have a look around.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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Jill E.
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Lots of viruses that may be dormant in our bodies activate during Lyme when our immune systems are suppressed. That could be the case with viruses such as Epstein-Barr, many of the herpes viruses, etc. I don't have any experience with Coxsackie virus although I've heard of it, kids often bring it home, I think it's more of a gastrointestinal virus, but don't count on poor memory.
The issue to discuss with your Lyme doctor is whether to try to treat these with some kind of anti-viral medication (some doctors use Valtrex for the herpes or herpes-like viruses), whether to use natural supplements such as olive leaf extract, Monolaurin, etc., or whether not to do anything. Obviously, viruses are not treated by the antibiotics we take.
Was this testing done to see if you really had something other than Lyme, or is your doctor looking for what you have in addition to Lyme? MDL Labs has a good Comprehensive Chronic Fatigue Panel that checks various viruses, mycoplasma, etc.
Take care, Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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trueblue
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Hi, Jill, thanks for the response.
To answer your question the doctors have been testing to see what else is going on in addition, or along with, the Lyme.
I have more than one TBD. I was diagnosed with Lyme in 1993 and had a positive B.microti in 98 that was never attended to.
I know I also have Hep C but didn't know there were any other viruses present. Up until a few months ago no one ever tested me for anyhting other than the most typical coinfections.
Now there's been a lot of tests I never heard of before taken to the tune of 54 vials of blood from 2 different places and darned if I know what to do with this information.
I've got about 40 pages of results and some of them pretty strange. These were just the most recent. The batch before was stranger by far! (And my immune system is whacked.)
Anyway, thanks I'm just a tad overwhelmed and don't have much help figuring this stuff out or what to do about it.
All I really want is to finally get proper Babs treatment. (and maybe get a life?)
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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posted
You had a coxsackie AB panel done. You don't have whether the results are from type a's or type b's. some viruses are more virulent than others, one b type for example is associated with pericarditis (which i had). in short, these values simply show whether you are producing antibodies to these various viruses, thereby indicating that you've had exposure to them.
as for your ebv (epstein barr virus) panel, you are missing one value which is the viral capsid ab igM (you should have 4 values, not 3). if you provide the final value, i can tell you the interpretation.
Posts: 689 | From western MA (we say buttER and pizzA) | Registered: Nov 2004
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trueblue
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quote:Originally posted by duramater: You had a coxsackie AB panel done. You don't have whether the results are from type a's or type b's. some viruses are more virulent than others, one b type for example is associated with pericarditis (which i had). in short, these values simply show whether you are producing antibodies to these various viruses, thereby indicating that you've had exposure to them.
as for your ebv (epstein barr virus) panel, you are missing one value which is the viral capsid ab igM (you should have 4 values, not 3). if you provide the final value, i can tell you the interpretation.
Thank you duramater,
I don't know about the Coxsackie panel the Dr's note under it says Coxsackie B+. (I edited and changed the last value in the first post, I had it down wrong.)
The 4th value on the EBV is: EBV VCA IgM Antibodies = less than 1:10
(I didn't even think of it because my IgM antibodies to everything got completely wiped out after a few months of Levaquin so I didn't expect them to say anything.)
My Lyme IgM WB went from 7 or 8 bands mostly IND and a couple + to completely and totally blank. The conversion to IgM was a first for me and then it disappeared in less than 5 months.
Sorry for the babbling and thanks for any insight.
trueblue
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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posted
the 4 ebv values taken together indicate you have an old ebv infection. this means you do not have an acute or reactivated infection. in short, you had mono at some point in your life and there is no recurrence or reactivation at this time.
Posts: 689 | From western MA (we say buttER and pizzA) | Registered: Nov 2004
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trueblue
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quote:Originally posted by duramater: the 4 ebv values taken together indicate you have an old ebv infection. this means you do not have an acute or reactivated infection. in short, you had mono at some point in your life and there is no recurrence or reactivation at this time.
Thanks duramater, This is what I find puzzling... sure I expected to have EBV come up positive just because it probably does for everyone. Ducks had wanted to test me 20+ years ago, but I couldn't afford the test. The thing is I've never had Mono and test repeatedly negative for it for all that time, on a regular Mono test.
As an aside, I have virtually no IgM immmunoglobulins at this time so that portion of the test would not come out right anyway. That;s why I didn't list it intially.
How about this group? CD3 Immune complexes 32H (reference range 0-8 = negative)
Immunoglobulins Immunoglobulin A 59 Low (range 81-463) Immunoglobulin G 1361 (range 694-1618) Immunoglobulin M 23 Low (range 48-271)
I also tested Low Vitamin D, 25, hydroxy at 14 (range is 20-100)and whithin normal range for 1,25, hydroxy.
for the most part BTSOOM!
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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Jill E.
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EBV does cause Mono but that is only one of the things it can do. You can have EBV without having Mono. I know it's confusing.
I was one of those that got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome during that big outbreak in the summer of 1984. It was before the syndrome had any kind of a name.
The only test the ducks could think to run on me was EBV thinking it was mono. My EBV titers were huge but my Mono spot tests were negative and my symptoms were more extensive and varied than Mono.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was first called Chronic Epstein Barr Virus because the ducks were guessing at the time whether it was caused by Epstein-Barr, or a retrovirus, or Coxsackie, or HHV6, or post-polio or what.
Anyway, as you know, a lot of people carry the EBV without getting sick. Most people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have EBV as one of many viruses that activate in their bodies - the same thing happens often in Lyme.
EBV is one of the viruses suspected in MS.
Not any of this is to scare you in the least. It just shows that EBV is one of those dormant viruses that a lot of people have, it seems to activate in a lot of syndromes and diseases when the immune system is suppressed, etc.
It doesn't surprise me that you show past EBV without having had Mono. I wouldn't worry about it.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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trueblue
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Thanks for the history and info, Jill!
It doesn't scare me or surprise me that EBV came up; i totally expected that one. What concerns me is these viruses, (EBV, Coxsackie, etc...) becoming more active while treating other things. I don't know how they're monitored or kept in check.
Seem to me it's just a bazillion other things to treat for along the way. I'm trying to sort out some of the blood work to get a better overall picture.
I'm just starting to treat Babs, no coinfections have ever been addressed before and I have a long road and many things to learn and attempt to understand.
Thanks again for the clear explanation.
As for the Coxsackie, I know I was exposed during an outbreak in the 90's. I was too symptomatic with Lyme and co to be able to tell for sure. I've been called auto-immune since diagnosis in '93. ^shrugs^
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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Sforsgren or Riversinger might be able to help you in regard to HLA info. Pretty sure both have posted on this in the past. I think it is discussed in the Mold Warriors book which I do not have.
As for the Immunoglubulin -- IgG (gamma globulin) is the one that is generally given IV by some docs. Since that is normal, I don't think the low values on the others are a major problem.
I don't know of any immune booster that works on just one class of immunoglobulin. Your doc should be able to suggest the best immune booster for you. If they ordered the tests they should be able to interpret them.
As for the viruses, I don't think they are a major issue either based on your test results.
If there are other confusing test results, post those and someone here should be able to help.
I do know how frustrating it is to spend big bucks on tests and then not know what they mean or what to do about the results. The more unusual and outside of the norm the tests are the more likely that something will be outside the normal range -- at least that is the way it seems to work with hubby. Routine standard bloodwork hardly ever shows anything out of range or at least not enough out of range to be worried about.
Bea Seibert
Posts: 7306 | From Martinsville,VA,USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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bettyg
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True, Why isn't the MD or whoever ordered all these tests EXPLAINING the results to you in user-friendly language?
All of my 4-20-06 and later blood/body lab testings in May were explaining 7-3 to me in detail; although I would have liked an extra 30 minutes for my questions!
In my detailed posts of 4-20-06 LLMD appt. & lab results, I posted everything they discussed hoping it would help others.
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