 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / General / Laboratory / April 2007cbc and sed rate
My Rheumatologist ran a bunch of tests, I have a positive ANA 1:20480, CRP 1.01 But what I hope someone can answer for me is a question about my CBC and sed rate. The lab report says that the cbc and sed rate was cancelled after 16:2 lapse of time because the sample clotted. What does that mean and is it aproblem? Also, can anyone tell me what an ANA titre as high as 1:20480 might indicate? Thanks, ssjean. > My Rheumatologist ran a bunch of tests, I have a positive ANA 1:20480, CRP 1.01 > But what I hope someone can answer for me is a question about my CBC [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > aproblem? Also, can anyone tell me what an ANA titre as high as 1:20480 might > indicate? Thanks, ssjean. I'll answer your CBC question first - it's the easiest. A complete blood count (CBC) requires whole blood that has not clotted. To collect the correct sample for this test requires a special tube with an anticoagulant to prevent clotting. If the blood did clot that can only mean that the person who drew your blood failed to collect the sample correctly and make sure the anticoagulant was properly mixed with your blood. This must be done within seconds of the blood filling the tube. There is no indication that it has anything wrong with your blood, only the skills of the phlebotomist. The same tube used for the CBC is used for the Sed Rate, and it was cancelled for the same reason. The Sedimentation Rate measures the distance a column of cells in blood will fall in an hour. The CRP (C-reactive protein) and the sed rate are non specific tests that indicate some sort of inflamation going on in some part of the body. Can't tell much from them except to see that something is happening. The ANA test measures Anti-Nuclear Antibody which is an antibody produced by your own immune system to "fight" your own cells - an "auto immune syndrome". There are many different syndroms that can be indicated by a positive ANA titer, and the appearance or the pattern of the test would indicate to the doc which to look for. Try this link: http://arthritis.about.com/od/diagnostic/a/ana.htm  SignatureJohn Gentile MS, M(ASCP) Laboratory Information Mgr. VA Medical Center Providence, RI yjgent@cox.nehttp://arthritis.about.com/od/diagnostic/a/ana.htmt >> My Rheumatologist ran a bunch of tests, I have a positive ANA 1:20480, CRP 1.01 >> But what I hope someone can answer for me is a question about my CBC [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > >Try this link: http://arthritis.about.com/od/diagnostic/a/ana.htm John, Thank you for all the info, you really helped put me at ease about the cancelled tests! My ANA was mixed : homogeneous and speckled. I understand what a high titer may indictate but I've not found any info that mentions a titer higher than 1:320. Thanks ssjean If the phlebotomist was having a difficult time drawing you it can excite tissue clotting factors - hence the blood clotted in the purple top EDTA tube for the CBC. EDTA is the anticoagulant used in these tubes. Sometimes it can't be helped. Your rheumatologist will probably want to repeat the draw. They must mix the purple tube thoroughly and multiple times in order to mix the EDTA with the blood. Tilting gently is the way to do it - not shaking. What the titer means is that your serum, diluted one part to 20,480 part of diluent still reacted in the test. Your rheumatologist will help you with the interpretation as far as the pattern. All I can tell you is that this is a high titer. A 1:320 titer doubles to 1:640 to 1:1280 to 1:2560 etc. This is called a serial dilution. An ANA test is "screened" at a standard dilution. If the screen is positive, then the serum is "titered" to see the endpoint of reactivity. It is also looked at under a fluorescent microscope to tell the "pattern" on special selected cell types. I have never performed the testing - just have learned about it. Learning the pattern interpretations takes some times. All positive titers are reviewed by a pathologist before reporting out. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1025800&pageindex=1 - this site may be helpful, but it is pretty technical. I would talk with your rheumatologist about what these results mean in light of any symptoms you are having. Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP) Microbiology >>> My Rheumatologist ran a bunch of tests, I have a positive ANA >>> 1:20480, CRP 1.01 [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >>> 1:20480 might >>> indicate? Thanks, ssjean. > If the phlebotomist was having a difficult time drawing you it can excite > tissue clotting factors - hence the blood clotted in the purple top EDTA > tube for the CBC. This is incredibly common - with a daily throughput of 700 - 900 CBC per day we must have up to a dozen clot every day. Is this average? On the subject of needing to repeat samples, many years ago a friend of my father in law arranged his own "wake before I die". He knew he was going to die because the doc asked for another blood sample. Apparently it stands to reason that if the doc wants another sample of blood then you are going to die (!) The fact that I'd dropped it and broken it was apparently never explained to the poor chap. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.