Saturday, October 20, 2012

New Biomarkers For Early Diagnosis?

And now for something completely different.....(If I may yoink a wonderful phrase from the classic Monty Python series..)

Silly image found here. 

It's been pretty silly here on Reasonably Well for the past couple days. It's time to turn our attention to more serious matters. Here's a tidbit that will nip any frivolity right in the bud:

Have a look at an interesting study recently published in Clinical Immunology October 2012 entitled Novel Autoantibodies in Sjogren's Syndrome and conducted by Long Shena, Lakshmanan Sureshb, Matthew Lindemanb, Jingxiu Xuanc, Przemek Kowalb, Kishore Malyavanthamb, Julian L. Ambrus Jr., Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14203.

Here's an excerpt from the abstract:
Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is defined by autoantibodies to Ro and La. The current studies identified additional autoantibodies in SS to salivary gland protein 1 (SP-1), carbonic anhydrase 6 (CA6) and parotid secretory protein (PSP). These autoantibodies were present in two animal models for SS and occurred earlier in the course of the disease than antibodies to Ro or La....Antibodies to SP-1, CA6 and PSP may be useful markers for identifying patients with SS at early stages of the disease or those that lack antibodies to either Ro or La. (Bolding mine).
Simplified, this means that this study has identified additional biomarkers for Sjogren's syndrome that appear to develop in patients BEFORE SSA/Ro or SSB/La.

This could prove to be an important assist in early diagnosis and treatment of Sjogren's Syndrome. Stay tuned.

6 comments:

ShEiLa said...

Most interesting... progress seems slow but I guess eventually someone will benefit from knowing why they feel the way they do sooner than I did.

ToOdLeS.

Anita Rowe Stafford said...

This is very good news, so glad the research has found something. Back in the early days of my illness I learned that no matter how bad I felt, if there was not a lab test that could generate a result, then I must not be sick.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the info! I wonder when doctors will start testing for these new Abs? My Ro and La were negative back in May/June- not sure what they are now...Do your docs ever re-test you for these at all? Thanks again!

Christine said...

Great information, thanks!

Julia Oleinik said...

Hi Heidi - since my ANA and SSA/Ro was positive on the first testing, these labs haven't been repeated. I believe that some drs. will occasionally reorder these labs for seronegative sjoggies.

Cynthiane Huerta said...

Hello from Kennewick!

I just found your blog while doing a little surfing here, I'm always looking for medical information for my various diseases.

Fifteen years ago I got deathly ill from some kind of flu... and never got better. I stayed tired and weak and pain ridden for months until I finally was told by a doctor I had fibromyalgia. A couple of years later and even sicker I was told I had fibromyalgia plus lupus. I went to all kinds of doctors and tried vitamins, exercise, massage, weight lifting, grape extract (don't ask), special expensive water (really, don't ask) among other things. I finally came to the conclusion there was nothing anyone could do and I was just going to feel bad for the rest of my life.

Jump forward to fall of 2010 and I start having the strangest symptoms. Dry mouth. Tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth and having to peel it off in the mornings when I got up. Not being able to chew food without a drink of water. The sides of my face were swollen, my lymph nodes were all swollen in my neck and under my arms. So, now the doctor says I have Sjogren's, which I had never heard of. Then, BAM!, test comes back I have Hashimoto's. Last winter I start noticing my hands are funny colors and I can't hold anything cold. Doctor says I have Raynaud's. Then my hands get nodules on the joints, both hands, then my feet, too. Pain is miserable. No great surprise here, Rheumatoid Arthritis has come to join the great autoimmune party going on inside my body.
Throw in some glucose intolerance and some GERD and that completes the picture. I'm wondering if you have any advice or ideas? I don't suppose there is anything I can do to keep further illnesses at bay? Thanks!
Sign me TIRED of feeling TIRED.

Cynthiane

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