'Limited' Weggie introduces herself...

[chrisTIn@]

Hi, other limited Weggie!

You say your 'Anca' was barely elevated. I saw on the thread where you introduced yourself to the forum that your PS-3 was elevated though. Can you tell me what PS-3 is?

...after finding out that my PS-3 was so elevated the research led me here...

[Psyborg]

PS-3 is proteinase 3, it's an antigen, and I think related to ANCA. I'm not sure I completely understand how it fits in, but here is a little information about it:
Proteinase 3, Wegener's autoantigen: from gene to ... [J Leukoc Biol. 2001] - PubMed result

[chrisTIn@]

Thx very much, Psyborg!

Protheïnase 3 is the stuff I was thinking of (my doctor calls it PR3) and indeed it is strongly related to Wegener's disease.
I belief the antibodies in other types of auto-immune diseases are different, as the following quote from the article that you linked me to also says:

...is of importance that anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) are mainly directed against PR3 only.

[JanW]

Yes, they often run the c-ANCA and PR3 tests at the same time. Mine is quite elevated even though I'm in a medicated remission. Never knew what the c-ANCA was because the issue was really whether it was positive or negative -- my doc has pretty much thrown it out as a tool to find out how severe your disease is.

[pberggren1]

I thought C-ANCA and PR3 are the same thing.

[chrisTIn@]

It´s a pretty complicated matter...
I believe 'ANCA' stands for 'antibodies'.
They are directed against PR3, that, in turn, is a proteïn.

So what the lab measures, in your blood, is in fact:
'How many antibodies does this patient produce against this specific proteïn.'

[elephant]

I went to my Rheumatologist today and got my ANCA result's and they were actullay lower a score of 28, six months ago it was 35. My Rheumatologist does not really follow the ANCA, but I thought that was interesting.

[chrisTIn@]

I think that's interesting too. I'm glad for you that your antibodies are lowered, elephant!
But, as is mentioned before on several other threads here on the forum,
the relationship between symptoms and Anca-level is kind of a mystery.

You can have high Anca-levels and few symptoms, and it can also be the other way around.

Actually, I don't know how high the level of my antibodies is right now,
but I read that when the level increases, it CAN be a prediction of a 'flare'.

[JanW]

in some people...and completely not in others.

Which is why docs shouldn't increase meds just because those numbers are going up.

[chrisTIn@]

...docs shouldn't increase meds just because those numbers are going up.

Has your doctor ever done that, Jan W.?

The doctors I know, think it's important to see the patient, and listen to his or her observations.
It's not only a matter of interpreting the figures...