Guest guest Posted November 4, 2003 Report Share Posted November 4, 2003 Please note Proline had a fire not long ago maybe this is affecting their response, Lorraine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2009 Report Share Posted November 1, 2009 Hi , ANA (antinuclear antibody) tests are usually done to determine if you have an autoimmune condition. Rheumatologists and allergist/immunologists use the test the most, but it's a general test that should be done to rule out other diseases that could be causing CFS/ME-like or FM-like symptoms (or at least contributing to them) like systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and others. A positive ANA by itself can mean any number of things, and some completely healthy people have it, too -- you would need further evaluation, by a rheumatologist if possible, to rule out other conditions and to try to determine the cause of your elevated ANA. This link provides some basic info: http://health.yahoo.com/lupus-diagnosis/antinuclear-antibodies-ana/healthwise--h\ w2297.html If you google ANA + " chronic fatigue syndrome " you'll get a lot of stuff, including this: " According to Dr. Bell, up to 25% of ME/CFS patinets have an abnormal ANA and some autoimmunity problems. Also, 29% of fibromyalgia patients have a positive ANA titer as well. sources: http://www.davidsbell.com/PrintLynNewsV4N2.htm http://www.myalgia.com/refs%2081%20to%200302.htm " Bear in mind that Dr. Bell is mostly theorizing in the relevant part of the source article... you should still probably have your ANA finding investigated further, like I said before. Low cortisol is a common finding in CFS/ME and FM patients, and there's tons of info, theories, and supplement salesmen online that address it... Other folks in this group will have more comprehensive info on that than I do..... Depending on how low yours actually is (depends on the type of test used by the lab), you should ask your doc, or else see a good endocrinologist, to rule out other conditions that can cause adrenal insufficiency. I know a lot of people with CFS and FM take adrenal supplements, with very mixed results. (A few docs like Teitelbaum recommend them even to patients who have NORMAL cortisol levels/ other adrenal findings, but this is highly controversial since it can create other problems). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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