Topic: HIGH C-Reactive Protein, Cardi and high ANA
disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
Question.
My husband's labs are always worrying me. He always has a normal CBC, but then he has HIGH ANA as well as a very high C-Reactive Protein.
His ANA is 200 (limits are: 0-99) His C-Reactive Protein is 78.66 (limits are: 0.00-3.00).
He's also had elevated liver enzymes, which we have no clue why that is either. I was hoping he'd be tested for that this last time but wasn't (nurse forgot to add that in to be tested), which angers me because if his liver enzymes were high without abx, don't you think they'd be higher ON abx? Arrrggg!
Anyone else have such a high CRP!? It doesn't always mean heart attack does it?! He's only 26 years old. What else can high CRP mean?
His ANA has been high for a very long time. Not sure what has caused that as we've done pretty much EVERY virus test out there (all normal) and his doc does believe he has lyme.
His CD57 is at 42, which is low, but is higher than the first time we tested it, which was 26. So it's gone up since being on abx.
Anyone else out there with high ANA or CRP for a long time? And what helped to get those results down into the normal ranges?!?
This has got me worried.
PS - Was just looking up info on CRP and it said in some cases, pneumonia can cause an elevated CRP. He was diagnosed a week ago with pneumonia (and had this blood drawn before he was diagnosed, but was sick at the time), so maybe that is what caused his CRP to be high... but not sure.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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Dawnee
Unregistered
posted
High CRP seems to be normal for Lymies.
When I first went to my LLMD before starting treatment my CRP was 57.0 ! LLMD told me it meant I had a "deep seated" infection. He attributes it fully to Lyme/Co.
After a month of abx it went from 57 down to 11.4, then the next month to 5.2 to 3.2 to 3.9 to 2.6 respectively. I haven't seen the last 2 months report yet.
So from 57.0 down to 2.6 after 5 months of mono abx therapy.
I also have a positive ANA, not all that high (1:80) but it is a nucleolar pattern, which really freaked me out. But my LLMD and another LL nurse I spoke to both said that it's only the Lyme causing the positive and not to even worry about it, that it will probably go back to negative with treatment.
I've got high CRP as well. It's been high for over 7 years. At times it's been off the charts high. The numbers started to go down, however, when I got into treating with antibiotics for Lyme/Co's.
When I got re-infected 3 years ago with Lyme/Co's, I tested positive for ANA. Subsequent tests, however, showed that my ANA was negative. And it remains negative to this day.
LLMD says for me this was all from the Lyme/Co's.
Dawnee, I was very happy to see you include that reference from your lab on persistent elevations in CRP being representative of non-cardiovascular inflammation.
Prior to my getting my Lyme diagnosis, my old doctors had been bullying me into taking a statin merely because of my high CRP (my cholesterol was not high). I always refused. They admitted that they felt my high CRP was a result of some sort of unidentified chronic infection but seemed unwilling to try and find out what the infection was. Instead, they wanted to throw statins at me!
Fuzzy
p.s. D - interesting about your findings on the high CRP and pneumonia. I've got mycoplasma pneumonia along with my Lyme and other Co's. Wonder if that is the culprit in my case?
Posts: 503 | From Maryland | Registered: Oct 2007
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CRP, ANA and things like that are just inflammation markers. Most lymies have at least one abnormal if not more. Nothing to worry about IMO. It seems like he is being treated for lyme which is good.
savebabe
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9847
posted
I was 26 when I had a very high crp. Since aggressive treatment, my levels have returned to normal.
Also, my ANA fluctuates, but Dr. H said this is a autoimmune response to lyme.
Posts: 1603 | From ny | Registered: Aug 2006
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disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12346
posted
Anyone else?
I'm really worried about this and my hubby. I'm so afraid and just don't understand why someone so young would have such high inflammation markers and an elevated ANA.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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Sorry, I can't help with the ANA results. Is there a pattern reported? Speckled, I think, if the one to worry about.
My understanding is that the most likely condition for creating an elevated CRP level is a bacterial infection. Perhaps the pneumonia is responsible for this. Is his pneumonia viral or bacterial, and if bacterial, is he being treated with antibiotics?
Systemic inflammation from stuff like allergies, being overweight, lack of sleep tend to cause elevation, but not as high as infections.
Consider rechecking the CRP. Maybe soon, and in another week after that to see if it is coming down as he recovers from the pneumonia or completes the ABX (?).
I'm older, 54, but my CRP has been elevated for the few years that I've been having it checked. It was always in the teens or around 7-10, but a week ago I had it checked after not doing it for a couple of months, and it was almost 55.
My MD wants me to recheck my CRP every week to see if it's going down--because it's been elevated for so long, and is now even higher (almost triple what it was in the late summer). I'm doing/taking a lot of things that are supposed to bring it down.
I had what I thought was a cold about 3-4 weeks ago, and last week I had what I thought was the flu for a few days. They could both have been bacterial, I guess, and I do have some other suspected chronic bacterial infections that could have created the spike.
I think continuous elevation of CRP is the biggest concern. CRP means there inflammation, and that can indicate the presence of bacterial infections. CRP is produced by the liver in response to inflammation.
Both inflammation and chronic infections can affect the heart and cause damage over time. Acute infections can affect the heart right away, like endocarditis, but there are usually obvious symptoms.
I'm not a doctor, but that's my limited understanding about CRP from what I've read and heard. My MD has told me that I'm at risk for heart attack, damage, or stroke from this. Fortunately there is a lot of information on the Internet about CRP these days, but less about treating it without drugs.
Hoping your hubby does well.
Take care, Nutmeg
Posts: 386 | From WA state | Registered: May 2005
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My ANA was 1:1300-speckled pattern last Jan. Then down to 1:80 homogenous 3 months ago. Been told I have "connective tissue disorder" by local rheumatologist.
We recently went to a rheum at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhatten to try and figure out what is going on. So far no answers as to why abnormal ANA, low c3 protein, high C1Q Immmune complex, low IGM, and weird tumor antibodies coming up (no cancer)
I am so sick of all of this.
-------------------- Corinne Posts: 529 | From Raleigh, NC | Registered: Jun 2006
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All of my inflammation markers are very high. 2 weeks ago when I was in the hospital my CRP was 280, erythrocyte sedimentation was 98, normal < 20, and ferritin was 1000, normal < 200.
I had blood work done yesterday and I don't yet have my CRP levels but my sed rate was 97 and ferritin 356.
Posts: 24 | From Boston | Registered: Nov 2008
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Shosty
Unregistered
posted
My ANA was 1:5120 speckled last time it was done, and I have had a CRP as high as 86. The CRP came back down. MY ANA fluctuates.
Can you translate the ANA value to the ratio form?
This is typical of Lyme, but also of some autoimmune illnesses, although my sed rate has never been high.
Don't worry. I am actually doing a lot better right now. I might get worse in a few months, but that's just the way it is. Your husband is not in danger, I would not think.
The ANA is not all that meaningful (any other autoimmune labs that are positive) and the CRP means there is inflammation; it can come down too.
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