PA is negative

[joeltite1]

I know martyn Said his came back negative3 times,so how reliable are these test and do I get another done ? Start my loading dose of b12 tomorrow anyway

[Gambit62 Administrator]

Personally I wouldn't bother with the test - focus on getting the right treatment.

[Polaris]

I agree with Gambit. It is often vital not to delay treatment. All the latest guidelines recommend that the clinical condition of the patient is of utmost importance, as there is no reliable test.

[Hidden]

Hi,

No point in testing IF antibodies, the test is notoriously unreliable, only of use if result is positive. You just now are classed as IF negative PA, see:

bcshguidelines.com/document...

(a) Anti-intrinsic factor antibody

The finding of a low total serum cobalamin level may be further evaluated by testing for anti-intrinsic factor antibody (IFAB). If positive, the test has a high positive predictive value (95%) for the presence of pernicious anaemia (Toh, et al 1997), with a concurrent low false positive rate (1-2%) i.e. a high specificity. It identifies those patients with a need for lifelong cobalamin replacement therapy. IFAB is positive in 40-60% of cases(Ungar 1967) i.e. low sensitivity, and the finding of a negative intrinsic factor antibody assay does not therefore rule out pernicious anaemia (hereafter referred to as AbNegPA). In addition, the positivity rate increases with age(Davidson 1989) and in certain racial groups [Latino-Americans and African-Americans; (Carmel 1992)].

Good luck tomorrow, be prepared for a sting, but its not that bad, hope you will feel a lot better soon!

Kind regards,

Marre.

[joeltite1 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply,yes I've been told it stings a bit,but hey if it hopefully helps then its a good thing

[Ctb567]

I've had one negative, one positive. The biochemist said that the test is rubbish as it misses 30% of people with PA. What usually happens is you'll get your loading doses then an injection once every 3 months for about 2 years then they'll retest your b12 and see if you need more. I think for some people its trial and error :/

Good luck with your loading injections, hopefully they'll make a difference, I think it took me about 6 weeks to feel better