1st 6 months of RA and new blood tests, confused?
I have been on plaquenil for 6 months and I did my blood work this week for my 6 month check up with the rheumy tomorrow. Trying to figure out what to expect. C reactive went down from 3.8 to 1.9. But the Red Sed Rate went from 40 to 43. Does this mean the meds failed? Are we trying to get into the "normal" range of these test with treatment or just not increase numbers? Do the numbers affect stages of disease? help!
Hi ALW1821. Hope your appointment with the doctor went well. Much of this may be old news at this point and only a doctor can accurately interpret test results relative to your overall condition. I can't speak to the effectiveness of your medication, but a CRP result of 1.9 is considered well within the normal range. A Sed rate of 43 is above the normal range of 0 to 29 (per the Mayo Clinic), however, the increase of three points may not be statistically significant - hopefully your doctor filled you in on whether this is the case. My understanding is that the CRP is the more accurate test. Wishing you the best. If you like. please feel free to let us know how you are doing. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
