Lab results - looking for opinions [PLEASE READ 1ST POST]

Can I ask you guys something? I get blood work done every six months, and my next appointment is coming up soon. What exactly is ESR? Sometimes it’s at 4, sometimes 9, and last time it was 14. What does that number even mean?

Basically, you take blood mixed with an anticoagulant, pop it in a long tube, and let it sit upright. The red blood cells—the erythrocytes—start settling at the bottom. That sedimentation rate is essentially just a metric for illness or injury—it’s basically how fast that number drops over a set amount of time.
A normal sedimentation rate doesn't mean you're magically healthy—it just doesn't rule everything out—but if that rate speeds up, it's a sign you need to dig deeper with more tests. You can use sedimentation to track whether a condition or disease is actually progressing or finally backing off.

Could someone please help me interpret these lab results? I’m starting to panic because the findings are positive, and I have absolutely no idea what this implies, especially since my doctor is currently unavailable.

These are the results for my 16-year-old daughter:

ENA-screen: positive
Anti-SS-A/Ro: 15
Anti-SS-B/La: 150
Anti-Sm: 6
Anti-Sm/RNP: 17
Anti-Jo-1: 4
Anti-Scl-70: 11
Anti-histone: 8
Anti-centromere antibodies: 7

Does anyone have any insight into what this might indicate?

Just head over to the WebMD patient portal... post your question there...
That's the only advice I've got for you.

Kiss

I'm 17. My ESR is high—it's sitting at 30, while the normal range is supposed to be 2–20.
What am I looking at here? I know it can signal anemia since my iron levels are low, along with my MCH and MCHC—which pretty much screams anemia. Can anyone tell me what else a high ESR might point to??

Inflamed

Yeah, just so we're clear—what’s your white blood cell count usually looking like when you're dealing with inflammation?

In my own experience, my sedimentation rate actually climbed even higher, though that was merely a byproduct of anemia, given that both my serum iron and my ferritin stores had completely bottomed out. Once I successfully bolstered my iron levels and everything finally stabilized, my sedimentation rate began its descent back toward normal.
The sedimentation rate can point to an overwhelming array of different conditions—so here is a link that outlines the specifics quite clearly. Just try not to let it alarm you; your levels are far too low to suggest any of the more serious issues mentioned there.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003638.htm

My white blood cell count is sitting at 9.7, while the standard range is 4.4 to 11.6
So, yeah—they're totally fine 🙂

wiredfox2 said:Just try logging onto the patient portal... you can submit your inquiry directly through there...
I don't have any other advice for you.

Best,

Thanks, I'll give that a shot.

loneorca25 said:I'm 17. My sedimentation rate came back high—it's at 30, and the normal range is 2 to 20.
What does that actually mean? I know it can point to anemia since my iron levels are low, along with my MCH and MCHC, which all seem to suggest anemia. Can anyone tell me what else a high sedimentation rate might indicate??

Honestly, I’m thinking it’s just some minor inflammation, but you should probably give your doctor a quick call just to be safe. Sedimentation rates drop incredibly slowly, so there's no need to panic. You might have just dealt with a little bug recently and it hasn't settled back down yet.😉

... and just calm down, everyone. Honestly, panicking isn't going to solve a single thing. 🙂

And I haven't even had an infection or anything lately... everything's perfectly fine on my end.🙂

And what exactly would you have us say to you then? That your kidneys are failing? That you’ve been diagnosed with an incurable tumor?
No. Your anemia has simply skewed your sedimentation rate. Though, seeing as you neglected to include your actual iron levels, we are left to nothing more than speculation.
Just get some iron in your system, girl, and your anemia will clear right up.

So, about a month ago I dealt with a herpes outbreak, and once it cleared up, I went in for bloodwork. My ALT levels were high. Well, I just had more blood drawn this morning—mostly because I need the results to get my prescription from my doctor—and now both my ALT and AST are flagged as elevated.
Why though?😕 I feel totally fine, no viruses or anything, but I was taking Dabroston right before my period started two weeks ago. I wonder if there's a connection there?

I ended up with elevated ALT, AST, and GGT levels. I actually stumbled upon this by accident when my doctor sent me for blood work because I was dealing with some allergy issues. To make matters worse, I was scheduled to fly to the United States for medical clearance related to a job within about a month. If your liver enzymes are high, you simply DO NOT pass that medical exam! So, I started drinking a liver tea (you can find it right at the entrance of Walmart; it’s made by a brand called Nature’s Way called Liver and Gallbladder Support) and taking two Vitamin B complex tablets daily. Of course, I cut out all fatty foods too. After just one month, all my enzyme levels dropped back down to normal! There's really no reason to panic.

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT, SGPT)
REFERENCE RANGES:
Women (>20 years old)
10 to 36 U/L at 37°C
Men (>20 years old)
12 to 48 U/L at 37°C
Women (13-18 years old)
10 to 29 U/L at 37°C
Men (13-18 years old)
10 to 33 U/L at 37°C
(8-12 years old)
11 to 37 U/L at 37°C
(>1 year old)
9 to 40 U/L at 37°C
( 11 to 68 U/L at 37°C
(10 days - 3 months)
8 to 60 U/L at 37°C
EXTREMELY ELEVATED IN CASES OF:
liver cell necrosis, shock, acute anoxia, extensive skeletal muscle trauma, myositis,
myocarditis
ELEVATED IN CASES OF:
cirrhosis, liver tumors, muscular dystrophy, myopathy, myocardial infarction, hemolytic diseases,
chronic alcoholism
LOW IN CASES OF:
pyridoxal phosphate deficiency

Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST, SGOT)
REFERENCE RANGES:
Women (>20 years old)
8 to 30 U/L at 37°C
Women (13-18 years old)
14 to 32 U/L at 37°C
Men (13-70 years old)
11 to 38 U/L at 37°C
(8-12 years old)
14 to 39 U/L at 37°C
(>1 year old)
10 to 45 U/L at 37°C
( 14 to 55 U/L at 37°C
(newborns)
12 to 78 U/L at 37°C
EXTREMELY ELEVATED IN CASES OF:
fulminant hepatitis, particularly viral hepatitis
ELEVATED IN CASES OF:
liver cell necrosis, cholestatic and obstructive jaundice, chronic hepatitis, hepatotoxic
medications, alcoholic hepatitis (note: in alcoholic hepatitis AST > ALT, whereas in acute and chronic
viral hepatitis ALT > AST); necrosis, inflammation, or trauma of heart or skeletal muscles, acute
myocardial infarction (AST > ALT).

Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (gamma-GT)
REFERENCE RANGES:
Women (20-70 years old)
9 to 35 U/L at 37°C
Men (20-70 years old)
11 to 55 U/L at 37°C
Women (8-18 years old)
10 to 24 U/L at 37°C
Men (8-18 years old)
10 to 27 U/L at 37°C
( 3 to 159 U/L at 37°C
(newborns)
24 to 285 U/L at 37°C
ELEVATED IN CASES OF:
intrahepatic and posthepatic bile duct obstruction, cholangitis, cholecystitis, infectious
mononucleosis, kidney transplant, anticonvulsant therapy, chronic alcoholism.

SOURCE:

Basically, you need to cut out alcohol, soda, heavy and greasy foods, and trim down those carbs. Taking Silymarin can be helpful for liver regeneration.

Good afternoon,
Is there anyone here with the actual expertise to walk me through these radiology results? I need to know if I can get back to swimming, running, or hitting the gym—basically, what kind of physical activity is actually safe for this condition?

The L-S spinal imaging shows slight scoliosis at the thoracolumbar junction along with an exaggerated physiological lordosis, which could just be postural. The vertebral bodies maintain normal height and the intervertebral spaces appear to be an appropriate width, with the exception of L5-S1. At that level, there is evidence of early disc narrowing and a slightly reduced intervertebral foramen.

Thanks,

Sean Wilson40 said:Hey there.
Is there anyone here who actually knows their way around radiology reports? I could use some help making sense of these results. Also, I need to know if I can get back into swimming, running, or hitting the gym—basically, what kind of exercise is actually safe for this condition?

The L-S spinal film shows some mild scoliosis at the thoracolumbar junction along with a more pronounced physical lordosis, which might just be posture. Vertebral body heights look fine and the intervertebral spaces are generally normal, except for L5-S1. There's some early disc space narrowing there, along with a slightly reduced intervertebral foramen.

Thanks.

Swimming is good—it helps with that lower back issue. Running probably isn't a great idea right now. You could try the gym, but stay away from anything involving jarring movements or sudden twists, like heavy sit-ups or lifting heavy weights. Honestly, though, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. If you stick with yoga, you might actually see a full recovery; personally, I felt my back issues start to ease up after just a few days. Relying on exercises specifically for the spine based on your own experience? That’s exactly my point.

Swimming is definitely a good call, and hitting the gym can be super beneficial too, but only if you have a specialist looking over your diagnosis to prescribe exactly which exercises are safe for you and which ones you should steer clear of ...