posted
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.
Posts: 182 | From turkey | Registered: Jan 2008
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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?
Posts: 340 | From san francisco, ca | Registered: Nov 2010
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posted
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).
Posts: 376 | From New York | Registered: Jan 2011
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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.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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nefferdun
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 20157
posted
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.
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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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.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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Rumigirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 15091
posted
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.
Posts: 3771 | From around | Registered: Mar 2008
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