Lupus? Alpha 2 antibodies-increased and gamma globulins-decreased

[MichelleAnn]

I had some more blood proteins done and it seems my Alpha 2 is elevated and my Gamma Globulin is decreased which means:

An increase in the percentage of alpha-2 globulin may be caused by systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, kidney disease, heart attack, or a long-term (chronic) infection (such as tuberculosis). Alpha 2-globulins are increased in acute and chronic inflammation and nephrotic syndrome.
A decrease in the percentage of gamma globulin may be caused by kidney disease or problems of the immune system (low amount of antibodies).

My ANA was 1:2560 and My ANti-Ro is Positive....all else is normal....??

Well, with other tests I had done we will see now what the Rheum. Doctor says. My Neurologist talked to her today and she is looking forward to seeing me since I do not follow the typical course for a diagnosis. Anyone here have any ideas? I know they give Gamma Gobulin through IV for treating Lupus.....I am at a loss....I see My new Rheum. On Nov. 20th...does not make sense to me....Now I cant have blood work done since I am on Prednisone and it will alter the results....Thanks...MichelleAnn

[Lily]

Hi Michelle,

You sound like me during my diagnosis, very atypical in some respects. I do wish they would at least trial you on Plaquenil :(

I ended up with an Immunologist who specialises in autoimmune conditions in the end and it was the best move my GP ever made. If nothing comes of this then thats one thing to consider but you would need to find one that does know a LOT about autoimmune.

Hopefully this new Rheumy will seriously consider putting you on Plaquenil - lets hope so.

Was the gamma globulin test taken before Pred? Pred itself can cause a decrease of gamma globulins and I have no idea how you being without a spleen would affect a lot of these test results either, so it makes it hard to comment specifically.

They have run the anti-cardiolipin and Lupus anticoagulant tests on you havent they, amongst all they have done?

Good luck with your appointment with the Rheumy and let us know how you get along.

love
Lily

[MichelleAnn]

Thank Lily~
The test was before Prednisone....it also has to do with Hemoglobin, and mine is high...also my platelets are high and my hematocrit....all signs of changed viscosity of my blood.....AUTOIMMUNE- definition is abnormal blood results....My ANA and SSA show definite connective tissue.....the Alpha 2 shows more inflammation and possibly Nephritis, as does the gamma globulin being lower... my increase in platelets which decreases Sedmintation Rate becuase of the change in my blood viscosity...which is basically what the anti-cardiolipin and Lupus anticoagulant tests show even though they are different in the blood. I found this interesting article...on Lupus research and how they believe Lupus starts in the body etc...and the more I read on Lupus research, the more I see how involved my platelets are and not having a spleen....My body does not get rid of the old cells like most, the spleen cleaned them up, and got rid of them....when the spleen goes awry many have dropped platelets....but when you do not have a spleen and these cells go awry, they increase.....so then they accumiliate inside me and my body builds antibodies against itself....which in turn leads to Lupus and it is mostly the Aplha cells...and known more in Lupus Nephritis...there is talks of different chromosones now and of course the Alpha Interferrins.... Rituximab is a new drug that targets this....I dont know alot about this and they say it puzzles even many Rheum. Doctors...but it all makes sense....You see how many Lymphoma symptoms and Lupus symptoms are similar?.....basically they are all in the same group of auto immune disease.....it just depends on what autoimmunities your body makes...against itself....this is how I am taking all I read the last few days.....I will see what my Rheum Doctor says...which, I am not getting my hopes up, its been 3 years of me feeling like ****....I just pray what when the time is right and not too late, they will do something...Thanks so much Lily....It amazes me how Rheum doctors are when really autoimmune is just abnormal blood results showing the body not functioning in the manner it should be.....I just pray. I need some relief. My symptoms are severe at times and I cant deal with it now....I have noone, to help me with my kids, I am alone without any family as my mom is very ill...and she needs me too. The doctors have to do something...there is not any more time for me to wait and be patient. XoXO

[Lily]

Hi Michelle,

I'm wondering if they have tested your Immunoglobulins individually to see if there is a subclass deficiency or an overall deficiency?

What are your complement levels like? Overall and also C3 & C4?

Rituximab is a new therapy that wipes out B cells.

love
Lily

[MichelleAnn]

Hello Lily~
Yes I had the immunifixation then on the individual antibodies...well had it done same time and they were on...all on the lower of the rage.....mainly the monoclonal antibody they look for for lymphoma etc....My CH50 is elevated...as my ESR is only 1.....my blood work regarding things the platelets are always the opposite....A Physican Assistant at this hospital when I was visiitng my mom last night came into her room, my mom is very ill on the ventilator, I was crying, so upset with how ill I feel....I talked to her and she is a PA in oncology....she is talking to a few doctors this morning and getting me some info on a good Rheum. center...also, she felt IVIG and some chemo drug would be the perfect place to start since most of these diseases are all treated with similar drugs...I need to shower and go talk to her this afternoon and find out what she said...I see a new Rheum. doctor on Monday...depending on how that goes depends on what I do next...I put my foot down finally, I am NOT waiting another 3 years patiently like I have in my condition that is worsening...I know I am sick, and I am getting more scared the sicker I am becoming....Thanks for caring....you see the alpha 2 is part of the haptoglobulin which is hemogloblin...and my hemogloblin is slightly elevated...all my blood work is effected my me not having a spleen since my lymphnosed, liver, thyamus etc are taking over my sleens duties....so my antibodies effected will be differnt yet alike....not much research in this...thanks Lily, I will let you know how it goes today and monday...hugsss.

PS: I also told her about my moms lungs and it being an immune disorder and her lungs are fibrosis, leather and gone...and my uncle has some type of autoimmune disorder, he had no calf legs always thought it was muscular dystrophy, and an aunt of mine died at 17 autoimmune disorder?....these are all on my maternal side...I told her I wonder if somehow we are all related in this same disease...yet different...??

[Lily]

Hi Michelle,

I dont understand a lot about it just that Alpha 2 is haptoglobin, a2 macrobgloublin, a2 antiplasmin, and ceruloplasmin. Haptoglobin is a protein that binds free hemoglobin. I would imagine if you have no spleen then you would have a high hemoglobin level in your blood (as you do). Would that not be the reason you have a high Alpha 2 reading as well, its your bodies way of offsetting the high hem level? Simplistic view and I'm certainly not an immunologist :lol:

Its gets very complicated and everything is connected. Which is why some blood abnormalities in some individuals are present. I know I had some weird ones along the way (low IgG3 level which had come about from an almost non existent Vitamin D level - both were corrected by getting my Vitamin D level straight. However they were of little consequence as far as my diagnosis for SLE went.

I would have thought that an Immunologist would be a better choice for you as far as docs go. Mine certainly was and I'm probably in a better state because he sorted out the other stuff first (it also enabled him to see what we were left with) and guide him in treatment decisions.

Treatment decisions are more complicated (hence your wait for it I guess) when we have other factors to consider - they are never sure how we will react to it . How an individual reacts to treatment will depend entirely upon their own individual case and all the factors complicating that picture. Some of us have more complicated presentations than others. The end result may be the same:immune system gone awry, but the treatment decisions are very individual depending on what other factors they would affect.

Anyway good luck with it all :luck:

love
Lily

[MichelleAnn]

lily u r right on alot of what u said , that i already know...but then other antibidies are high and others weak, and that is where the bad ones are made or overtake the good ones and u have an auto immune disease...so basically, an autoimmune disease is any abnormal bloodwork...where your antibodies are out of sync....and mine are. I have the high ANA 1:2560...which hasnothing to do with the hemoglobin...which by the way is usually never high only my platelets are....but this time it is high and so is my hemoticrit...but polycema vera is not it i was told...for some other reason, i dunno....i also have the anti-ro....they tell me i am producing antibodies against my body and i show accute or chronic signs of inflammation by a low sedmintation rate......mine is a 1.....i respond opposite to some of the normal tests...and my hospital does not have an immunioligist...i will look into that after my appointment on monday...basically all these disease are treated with same drugs...chemo stuff, immune stuff...ivig, etc...take care and thanks for caring

[MILLMILL81]

:) hello michelle

hello I have sjogren and lupus my alpha2 is elevated and my gamma globulin in my case is increase my IgG is always increase between 1915 to 2915 my IgM and IgA are normal you done my immunofixation is alway abnormal it comes back polyclonal it mean that I have more than one immunoglobulin high or kappa or lambda light chain my case I have kappa high but in my last two immunofixation test it has come back monoclonal it sugestive of myeloma and lymphoma in my case they are looking for myeloma.

takecare
mill:rolleyes:

[MichelleAnn]

~Hello Mill
Have they done any other tests for finding the Myeloma yet?....my monoclonal was good...so my neuro does not think that....but then it can be normal in a certain percentage...that is why a bone marrow biopsy might be suggestive...and a lympth node biopsy...now this is doctors that told me this whom are not treating me....I see a Rheum doctor on Monday...and from there I will see where I go....How were you diagnosed with Lupus? what tests were positive?....symptoms, etc...Lily, as far as my hemoglobin, it has never been high only my platelets...just this last cbc it was slight over the high limit...also other things...usually it is only the platelets that are high when you have a spleen removed, that is why they remove it for severe low platelet count...to bring the platelets up.....my Igg being low, well that can come from not having a spleen also...even though I have had all the phneummococcal and other vaccines...but now to think about it, I am a strep carrier and a son of mine died of strep meningitis and I had another son born with group b strep and has cerebal palsy.....another daughter my membranes ruptured at 27 weeks, to strep veridans.......this immune stuff is bigger than we can imagine ....Mill? do you have the anti-ro? and was your ana elevated? were you treated with any medicines? if so did they work?...did you feel better?
Thanks both of you so much...

[MILLMILL81]

:) Hello michelle
yes I have a positive Ana as high 1:1280 and low 1:640 I never had a negetive Ana I aslo have ANTI-DNA POSTIVE , SM-POSITIVE,SSA-R0 POSITIVE, RHEUMATOID FACTOR POSITIVE . for lupus and sjogren now for myeloma yes I have been tested I have a bone survey done , I have high protein, protein electrophoresis , immunofixation, beta2 microglobulin, and freelight chain test theses test came back postive well I guess the next test will be bone marrow biopsy mysefl too have they dx with lupus yet your ANA is high what the pattern my is speckled and homogeneous pattern good luck

mill:)

[MichelleAnn]

Hello Mill~
WOW, you sure have alot of positive blood tests.....unbelieavable!!
My ANA was 1:160 3 years ago when I first got sick, it is not 1:2560 and is speckled pattern...I have the anti-ro 84.6 positive. My Gamamglobulin is low, my alpha 2 is high...I see a new Rheumatologist tomorrow late afternoon. We will see what she says and how she treats me. If I get nowhere, I am referring outside this hospital which is a large teaching hospital. I was patient 3 years and now I am getting sicker....my help was my grandmother whom passed away 18 months ago and now my mom is critical in the hospital on the ventilator since august. I have 3 children and divorced. the kids father makes more trouble than good and does not help at all with the kids. My step dad is 72 years old and very stressed over my mom so unable to be any help. I have no choice but to get better......there is noone to take care of my kids. My sister has her own family and lives 5 hours away. Noone understands the fatigue and other symptoms that follow us with any type of auto immune disease. I do not even care if Lupus is what I am given, I just know it is auto immune, all of these including many of the lymphomas are treated with chemo drugs, immune suppressants, prednisone, IVIG, etc...I need and have to have aggressive treatment now...and I will not settle for less...or so I am writing this and saying that, but somedays or most days I am just too tired to fight....I am even too tired and ill feeling to go to the doctors somedays but I make myself. My neurologist I been seeing for 3 years, this is definetely effecting my central nervous system and has flare-ups and never full remissions...each flareup i am worse...and recover less. I feel sick, and I dont mean like in past where I thought maybe something I can over come...I feel real sick and I am scared. Sjogrens was another thing mentioned to me....but I believe this is more than just sjogrens....How long have you been sick Mill?...How do you feel now?....what medications are you on or tried?....Its sad how so many of us are in this situation....and even more amazing how little the doctors and neurologists really know about our human body. They are researching all the time, but we put man on the moon and do not know much about our own body....One day at a time...I will be thinking of you!!

[Lily]

Hi Michelle,

Have you had a good look at all Sjogrens encompasses in some? Is your Ro SSA or SSB?

There's an awful lot of research going on into Sjogrens CNS stuff, this page might be helpful if you havent already seen it:


http://www.sjogrensworld.org/articles.htm

good luck with your appt!

Milli great to see you again :hugbetter: but sorry its under such lousy circumstances :sad:

love
Lily

[MILLMILL81]

:) Hello Michelle
First of all am sorry about your mother I hope she gets better:) my parent live in Boston my father is 70 he sick he has chronic pulminary diseases from smoking and he diabetic too I have 4 boys from the age 14 to11
my 12 yrs old is diabetic I been sick since 2001 but it wasnt until 2003 and 2004 I got dx with sjogren first in 2003 and a year later with lupus all my tests wasnt alway positive at first at first I had my Ana test only positive the others were negetive I know is fraustrating 8) not knowing what you have with the symptom what type of symptom do you have let me know what your appointment comes out I be tonight on chat 800 or 900 pm I live in puerto rico the hour out here is 1 hour later than the:) states michelle you got my support write back.
good luck
mill:)