Intrinsic Factor Antibodies

[smg1950]

Hi I was diagnosed with PA in October 22 .I had a private blood test after feeling unwell for a while.

I used Superdrug and IFA came back as 36.4 U/ml Range 0-6

Recently I had another test done at Medichecks and IFA came back as 57.82 Au/ml Range Less than 1.2.

I can see these are different references but wondered if anybody knows if this may mean there might be problems with gastric lining possibly getting worse. I am unwilling to go to GP as have a fight to get injections and really dont want to come up on their radar.

Medichecks also stated my Ferritin was low 54.4 uglRange 13-150 and my MPV was too high 15.20 Range 7-13.

Any ideas please . I do have IBS Raynauds and have had lichen sclerosis which has resolved.

Thanks

[Gambit62 Administrator]

The IFA result just confirms that you have PA - it doesn't indicate the amount of damage that has been done.

[smg1950 in reply to Gambit62]

Thank you for your time .

[FlipperTD]

Scientist, not medic.

The detection of IF Antibodies show you have PA, no more, no less. The fact that you've had two different tests, through two different providers, with different ranges quoted on the report and no mention of the method used, whilst quoting numerical results when there isn't a universally agreed reference preparation to calibrate the methods against means to me that it shows you've got PA, and nothing more than that. From my experience having done many thousands of the tests, if we received a sample that was only weakly positive, a repeat in a few months time would typically show a rise in antibody titre, giving us a clearer positive result. It's hard to imagine why anyone would then repeat the test in the future, once we'd provided a definitive result.

Your ferritin isn't low; it's nearly in the middle of their range.

Your MPV [Mean Platelet Volume] might appear to be above their range, but it's meaningless. Your sample will have been taken into an EDTA anticoagulated tube, which stops the platelets sticking together. However, on storage, the platelets swell in EDTA, and there's nothing that we can do to stop that, and the longer the sample is delayed before testing, the greater the rise in MPV.

I shall now 'show off a bit' and point out that quoting a range for MPV is, at best, confusing. There is a complex relationship between MPV and Platelet Count. It's an inverse, non-linear relationship, so if the platelet count is low, the MPV normal range is higher than if the platelet count is high. All this boils down to the fact that MPV is something we can measure, but its use and validity are of limited value other than in exceptional circumstances, in uncommon conditions, and when the test has been performed on a well-taken blood sample, analysed with the absolute minimum of delay. Many labs don't report MPV despite the analysers producing a number.

I understand your reluctance to visit a GP. However, they do have a role, or they should. You have PA and require regluar treatment. You've been advised your ferritin is low [it isn't] but it's a really good idea to get regular [annual] checks on your FBC, which will pinpoint if you're in danger of running out of iron. DO NOT START DOSING YOURSELF WITH IRON WITHOUT MEDICAL SUPERVISION [sorry for shouting] because Iron is dangerous.

If the only things your private provider can come up with as 'abnormal' are MPV [storage artefact] and a spurious ferritin level, I suspect you're doing OK!

Stay in touch with us on this site, as there are folks with a lot of experience.

[smg1950 in reply to FlipperTD]

Thank you very helpful and informative .

[B12life in reply to FlipperTD]

you can show off here any time FlipperTD. We totally eat it up. the knowledge on how labs work and their value is PRICELESS.

[FlipperTD in reply to B12life]

Thank you!

[Wwwdot]

agree B12life - Flipper is the David Attenborough of PA! 🤗

[FlipperTD in reply to Wwwdot]

This just gets better and better!