understanding labs | Arthritis Information
Since I'm still in the "early going" on this I'm still struggling to understand the numbers.
My blood work yesterday showed my Sed rate at 34. (Normal is 20)
My CRP is 11.5. (normal is 5)
Also as I had posted before my RA factor was 136.
So here's what I'm still struggling with and google has been of limited help. What is the actual range of these? Could my sed rate get into the hundreds? thousands? Is the number supposed to be a direct correlation with the pain? Because if those aren't very high I'm in trouble.
Does my RA factor change? That was taken Aug 08, should it be looked at again ever? Does it "mean" anything?
Thanks in advance for any help you can give.
The lab here states the esr rates max out at 100. Mine was 78 and he said....no wonder you feel so tired..........however, many labs have different values so you almost have to get the lab sheet to see what they have as normal rates, etc.
Hope that helps.
"normal" values are set by the individual labs...The rheumatoid factor is generally used only for diagnosis purposes. Once you have a diagnosis there really isn't any reason to rerun it.
Some people find their pain levels and inflammation levels correlate with each other...other people don't...as you deal with the disease longer you will figure out how you react.
this is a good website to learn about the various tests
labtestsonline.org offers valuable information regarding explaining lab tests.OOOPS - sorry -- missed the one above before i posted. so sorry.I've been told the RA factor doesn't correlate with pain levels as some people with RA are seronegative.(Even people without RA can have a high RA factor). It just helps in diagnosis. My sed rate has always been close to the normal range even with visible swelling and much pain. I think the correlation to the numbers are as different to an individual as the disease is. I know that with me, the Rheumy goes more by clinical presentation than anything else. This disease can be very confusing and frustrating.
HI, also if you are on prednisone your ESR and CRP may not reflect the true picture, the steroids mask the levels of inflammation. When mine is in the 30's, I am usually quite crippled, best of luck, hope they come down soon. Janie.
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