What do the Rheumatoid Profile test results mean?
The Rheumatoid Profile panel of lab tests looks for evidence of inflammatory processes in the body such as certain types of arthritis, connective tissue, and auto-immune disease.
Uric acid
– Uric acid levels are elevated in gout.
Sed Rate (Westergren)
– Sed Rate (Westergren) is a non-specific marker or indicator of inflammation.
Anti-streptolysin O
– Anti-streptolysin O is an antibody to the bacteria Streptococcus that is often present in individuals who have joint pains due to the presence of high level of this bacteria in their system.
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA)
– ANA are immune proteins that the body makes. When Antinuclear antibodies are at very high levels, they can be indicators of “auto-immune” diseases such as lupus, scleroderma, polymyositis, and mixed connective tissue disease. ANA levels are frequently elevated to some degree in normal patients, therefore these tests must be interpreted with caution.
Rheumatoid factor
– the Rheumatoid factor is a non-specific marker in the blood that is often, but not always, elevated in patients who have rheumatoid arthritis.
C-reactive protein
– C-reactive protein is another non-specific inflammatory marker.
