Hi there!
I didn't post for awhile. I just want to ask what kind of antibody test is done for pernicious anaemia? I had a test for hashimoto antibody done around half year back and my very low b12 was discovered now, so doctor send blood to the lab for antibody test for pernicious anaemia. And they denied testing saying it's pointless since I got antibodies tested in last half year. I can't understand it since are two different conditions... Can anyone explain please.
Thanks a lot
I don't understand either. I have P.A and as far as I know they test the instrinsic factor (?) to know whether you have a B12 deficiency or P.A.
There is also a Pernicious Anaemia (HU) that you could ask for more info on P.A.
Why is test denied by the lab if its different antibody? Everyone knows autoimmune are like to be in groups...
The doctor probably asked for the wrong antibody test as most of them are somewhat clueless.
It is so hard to believe that such a thing is possible, but well will find out soon, hopefully.
Although I'm still inclined to go with my first comment, it could be possible that the lab refused to test intrinsic factor antibodies if your b12 level was in range. This happened with my young son. I managed to get mine tested but only because my b12 level had dropped into the grey area.
My is below the norm as well, and its 4 months since it first was discovered (on my own, no one requested it for me :))), I already have my injections being done too. The answer from the lab was clearly saying that they will not test it, as antibodies were already tested before in past 6 months etc. Yes ATPO and ATG but never IFA...
How ridiculous. The lab is definitely at fault here then. I would put this back in the hands of the GP to insist that the lab do the IF test that was requested. Your doctor can't be that bad if he is prescribing injections without definitive proof of PA so hopefully he will get it sorted for you. Good luck 🍀
I thought there was no point in testing for PA once you were on B12 injections, because the results would be skewed. The testing should have been done before you started the injections, shouldn't it?
I had blood test done first, 4 months ago in my country, then i repeat it in uk, both showed very low b12. I was advised to wait 3 months and see what happens. After 3 months b12 was even lower than before, so my blood was send for antibody test and i started injections straight after. I am supposed to make a set of injections wait 3 months and repeat the blood test. But the antibody test was denied. So yes it was done before injections.
Ah ok! well, you didn't explain all that. So, what did the antibody test say? Do you have Pernicious Anemia?
That's the whole point, lab said they will not do antibody test because there was antibody test done in past 6 months. The point is i have never been tested for PA only for hashimoto. So nothing makes sense.
No. It doesn't. They should not have started you on B12 injections before they tested for PA. It can't be done, now.
I think you doctor must have ordered the wrong antibodies, and that's why the lab won't do them. Seems like he's made a right mess of things!
I mean they got my blood from before injections for testing, so i guess it still can be done if they hold onto sample. I hope to have doctor explain it to me and have it fixed. It drives me crazy enough already.
In less than a year have 2 shits popping up in my life isn't funny. And such a treatment (second time) doesn't make it any better.
Well, there's a limit to how long they can hold on to blood for testing, so I Don't know if that's feasable. I Don't know what to suggest. Perhaps your doctor doesn't know there are different antibodies for different illnesses!
I don't want to believe that! But if i will have 3 months break after injection, isn't then another chance to test for antibodies before eventual second set of injections?
That's a possibility, although I'm not sure three months is long enough. But you'll have to make sure your doctor gets his act together next time. Check on what he's actually testing for.
I got a call from my gp today. I have been informed that, test result came back. So apparently there was a mess but after all test was done. She said my antibody came back normal. This is indeed reason to be happy. So she blamed it on diet. The thing is that I have education regarding diets from University, and I perfectly know what to eat to boost things etc. So I would never say it is diet fault. I told her that in my family very low b12 is very common, she said it indeed maybe genetics fault. But it doesn't really tell me why is it so low. I would love to know the cause. As I said before low b12 was first discovered in November, but I do not know how long for was it low before that. And it remains low until now, even lower than before. I have been advised to redo b12 test in 3 months after this set of injections, but if it will stay low, what other reason can it be? My endo told me that antibodies has different periods and they do go up and down, obviously he was talking about thyroid antibodies, but I guess it is related to all antibodies. Is it possible that it was such a moment or is my gluten free diet working out? Or is it something else? Well lots of questions even although I know i should wait this 3 months before asking.
Hi Madness. I know it’s been three years since your post here. I hope that, therefore, there is no need for this advice and things are ok for you now. However, I also know that three years can just go by without progress or answers and you can easily lose heart. The short answer here, if you haven’t found out already, is that intrinsic factor tests are not reliable. If they show a positive for Pernicious Anaemia then that’s certain. But, if they show a negative, there is a 50/50 chance that the result is unreliable - you could still have it. A doctor should know this. Not many do. Good luck!
Gastric Parietal Cell Antibody
Supplementing with b12 before testing for pernicious anaemia? 
