Arthritis & Rheumatology
Arthritis Panel Plus

The ANA Blood Test checks Antinuclear Antibody levels to screen for autoimmune diseases.

An autoimmune disease is a situation where the body’s immune system is not working properly and can attack the body’s own cells and tissues.

Typical autoimmune diseases are: Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and symptoms may include: weight loss, fever, skin rash, joint pain, teredness.

Sedimentation Rate Westergreen Test or ESR Test is recommended to evaluate certain inflammatory conditions, tissue destruction and certain non-specific infections, cancers and autoimmune diseases. ESR is also Known as Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate.

The ESR measures how quickly red blood cells sediment (fall to the bottom of a test tube), the faster the sediment the higher chance of inflammation.

The sedimentation rate helps confirm certain diagnosis like arteritis, polymyalgia, arthritis.

Since ESR cannot pinpoint the problem that is causing the inflammation it is usually ordered with other tests like C-reactive protein (CRP) test.

C-Reactive Protein Test or CRP Test measures the level of c-reactive protein (CRP) in your blood. CRP is a protein made by your liver. It's sent into your bloodstream in response to inflammation. Inflammation is your body's way of protecting your tissues if you've been injured or have an infection. It can cause pain, redness, and swelling in the injured or affected area. Some autoimmune disorders and chronic diseases can also cause inflammation.

Normally, you have low levels of c-reactive protein in your blood. High levels may be sign of a serious infection or other disorder.

If your results show a high level of CRP, it probably means you have some type of inflammation in your body. A CRP test doesn't explain the cause or location of the inflammation. So if your results are not normal, your health care provider may order more tests to figure out why you have inflammation.

A higher than normal CRP level does not necessarily mean you have a medical condition needing treatment. There are other factors that can raise your CRP levels. These include cigarette smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise.

Rheumatoid Factor Test is used to check for Rheumatoid Arthritis and other autoimmune disorders.

RF is a protein produced by your immune system that attacks healthy tissue of your body. RF is found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which is an autoimmune condition. Typical symptoms are: joint pain, stiffness and inflammation among others.

Elevated rheumatoid factor is also found in other diseases like scleroderma, Sjogren’s disease, cancer, tuberculosis, etc.

ASO or Antistreptolysin O Blood Test or Strep Blood Test can help identify streptococcal infection.

A class of antibodies produced by the body, the ASO antibodies protect the body against Streptococcus bacteria so an increased number in ASO antibodies signals an infection.

In most cases Streptococcus infections are treated with antibiotics.