Blood tests

[lilmiss1999]

Hello all....I was wondering about the blood test for an autoimmune problem. My dr ran some blood tests and called to say all my levels look great. She is not an MS specialist. Just my PCP. She was trying again to rule out vitamin deficiencies.

So if she did test for Autoimmune problems and it came back normal does that mean that it cannot be MS?

I am going to call Tuesday to find out exactly what she tested for but thought I would ask all of you first.

Even though I have been dealing with this for years I seem to have just started this MS journey. Everyone here has been great. Thank you in advance.

JEN

[17o_bandslater]

There's a blood test being heavily promoted to docs as diagnostic for MS. The company is Glycominds. The test is called an "anti-GAGA" test and allegedly correlates glycan typology with known MS glycan variations.

Experienced MS doctors are using it, but the National MS Society has never heard of the test.  And in most states, labs won't even draw for it. The company purports to have a business presence in the US, but is in fact based in Israel. They hire mobile phlebotomists to perform the draw. The papers you have to sign include a veiled waiver of your HIPAA rights; the US partner company is not a healthcare company, so they wouldn't have to protect your HIPAA anyway. The company won't show test results to clients.

I was told that the test was definitively diagnostic for MS (by an MS "specialist" who claimed to have read my MRI and told me there were no new lesions. The radiologist's report clearly states there is a right anterior subinsular hyperintensity).

Anyway, I wanted to give folks the heads up about this. My concern is that people who are Dx-d by this test may have their Dx reversed and their access to DMDs, etc. will be threatened. If the test ends up being discredited, folks who were Dx-d based on it will have to do the Dx process all over again.

On the oher hand, if the test proves out, or has proven out, you'd think the MS Society would be shouting from the rooftops. So, be careful, guys. Something seems a little hinky to me.

[Lulu54]

Hi Jen,
Unfortunately there is no blood test for MS.  MS is diagnosed by testing for other mimics such a Lymes Disease, Lupus or Syphillis and making sure you don't have those.  

The doctor makes the diagnosis through a combination of clinical observations or symptoms, a gathering of your history, and all too often the MRI and Lumbar Puncture tests.  

If you and your doctor are thinking you have an autoimmune disorder, it is time to refer you on to a specialist and have them take a good look.  If you are questioning MS, you really want to be seen by a neurologist who specializes in MS.

When you get those test results you may still have questions about what they all mean.  One of my favorite sites to get those interpretations is   labtestsonline.org.    This is a great site to help with interpretation of results and just basic understanding of how these work.

stay in touch,
Lulu