With autoimmunity you have two choices.
You can wait until you have full blown autoimmune disorders, then get put on a lifetime of immune suppressants and biologics.
OR, you can use predictive antibodies to detect autoimmunity in the early stages of the disease and then take steps to halt or even reverse the beginning course of the autoimmune disorder.
Now you know you have a choice. That there is a choice.
Remember, autoantibodies will appear years or even decades before the onset of autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, antiphospholipid syndrome, Hashimoto's, and Type 1 diabetes mellitus. They can also be present even before you have any symptoms.
Autoantibodies may also predict specific clinical manifestations, disease severity, and rate of progression.
These are called predictive antibodies.
Just because you have antibodies it doesn’t mean that you will develop an autoimmune disease.
The importance of these findings are the prediction and possible prevention of autoimmune diseases.
There are specialty tests that will identify autoantibodies, but diagnosing autoimmune disease can be difficult and a combination of clinical and laboratory data is often necessary.
However, the measurement of autoantibodies is the first and usually the best step in recognizing and prognosing many autoimmunities and complex diseases.*
It is estimated that approximately one of four Americans has some sort of dysfunction of the immune system, including autoimmunity. The problem is that most doctors will not test for them in this way! But if you have a family history or start developing symptoms related to these antibodies, you can start testing for them right away! If your doctor won’t do it, find one who does.
Are you ready to get started? Please call my office or fill out my contact form & get started today. I look forward to working with you!
References:
Vojdani A. Antibodies as predictors of complex autoimmune diseases and cancer. Intl J Immunopathol Pharmacol, 2008; 21(3):553-566.
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