Can some one please help me out, cant really find alot on the internet.....
I have had blood tests for past year on lupus, constantly got high ana, esr and other few things but apparently not enough to diagnose me 100% with lupus...
I had to be tested for lyme disesase to rule that out due to a rash but i have had the bloods back saying the only bloods from lyme disease which was positive was the EIA blood test? Im due to see rhumy next month to go through everything but i have read up somewhere this can be positive if you do have lupus?
I have been through hell trying to get diagnosed, and im sure everyone will agree with me that its a huge relief when you go get diagnosed regardless with what it is as you can then start to try and carry on with your life...
But can someone please please pleaseeeeee give me abit more info on the EIA blood test and it was true what i read
I know what you mean I have many symptoms of Lupus and suffered now for 7 years your not bothered what they call it you just want treatment I hope you get it sorted soon
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, also called ELISA or EIA, is a test that detects and measures antibodies in your blood. This test can be used to determine if you have antibodies related to certain infectious conditions.
Lyme antibody testing is a qualitative and quantitative analysis of antibodies to B. burgdorferi, the organism responsible for Lyme disease
Lyme disease (LD) is a multisystem inflammatory bacterial disorder caused by a spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted by the bite of an infected tick (Ixodes species/deer tick)
The definitive host of this spirochete is deer and mice
Serologic tests to detect antibodies to Lyme disease include:
Indirect immunofluorescent test (IFA)
Enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA)
C6 Lyme Peptide ELISA
Western blot analysis
PreVue B. burgdorferi Antibody Detection Assay
Several types of EIA tests exist. Validated and FDA-approved EIAs include “ELISA” (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and “ELFA” (enzyme-linked fluorescent immunoassay). Lyme disease testing measures a person's antibody (or immune response) to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. EIA tests are designed to be very "sensitive”, meaning that when they are used properly, almost everyone with Lyme disease will test positive. It is also possible, however, to test positive with an EIA test even when you do not have Lyme disease. This can occur because of other medical conditions, including:
Tick-borne relapsing fever
Syphilis
Anaplasmosis (formerly known as granulocytic ehrlichiosis)
Leptospirosis
Some autoimmune disorders (e.g., lupus)
Bacterial endocarditis
Infection with Helicobacter pylori, Epstein Barr virus, or Treponema denticola (bacteria found in the mouth that can cause gum disease and/or infection after dental procedures)
For this reason, doctors want to verify any "positive" or “equivocal” (indeterminate) EIA results by performing an immunoblot test such as a Western blot. The Western blot or other FDA-approved type of immunoblot can help distinguish patients who have Lyme disease from those with other conditions.
This means there is more than one EIA, looking for evidence of antibodies. Like many tests they have high sensitivity but low specificity. I.e. Most people with Lymes will test positive, but not everyone testing positive has Lymes! Likewise it might be positive in people with lupus, but doesn't mean you have lupus. You can see from the list that even a simple oral infection could affect the result, so more detective work will be needed if that's all they found I suspect.
Good question! I think your question is about the type of test I've been having. I always struggle to understand this no matter how many times I have it explained
When my blood is ANA tested at my lupus & immunology clinics, the ANA ELISA tests is always used instead of just the ANA test
Here is an excerpt from the link I've pasted in below (this link's explanation is relatively short & sweet 😉):
"The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is widely used as a serological marker of autoimmune disease. Antinuclear antibodies are immunoglobulins or antibodies that bind to one or more antigens expressed within the nucleus of human cells. Used selectively, the ANA test can be a useful laboratory tool to help confirm or exclude the diagnosis of systemic rheumatic disease. However, the relatively high prevalence of ANAs in other inflammatory conditions, as well as healthy individuals, can make a positive result difficult to interpret.
Although many methods are available for ANA detection, the indirect immunofluorescence antinuclear antibody test (IF-ANA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA)/enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are commonly used."
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No blood tests
Blood tests concern
Blood tests for monitoring
