C3a/C4a Complement Tests Back

[LNN]

To your question about if anyone had their kids come back negative on both - my answer is no. My son had elevated C4a, my daughter had elevated C3a. Both have elevated C3d - which confirms, in my mind, that their issues are infection driven.

 

I think the fact the your son came back so low on both is important. You may look back later, once you've discovered more, and see that is was a clue. So I wouldn't forget it. But I also wouldn't use it as a confirmation that your son doesn't have a lyme or mold issue. If there were one test that could rule lyme in or out, we wouldn't have all the controversy.

 

I don't recall your son's Igenex results. If they were only mildly suggestive, this seems to indicate you may need to keep looking for clues and maybe other or additional culprits for his OCD. If they were highly suggestive, I'd put less stock in the C3a/C4a results. I think you need to put every test in context with the results of the others, as well as response or non-response to particular treatments. Your son's reactions to treatments are far more telling than the experiences of anyone else's kids or the results of any single test.

[philamom]

I also recall reading somewhere on his website (I think) that C3a is elevated in acute lyme disease but lowers into the normal range when lyme becomes chronic.

 

That makes sense. But why the normal C4a if your child has mold? I'm wondering if the problem is this new test that is being run through Labcorp instead of through the Jewish Hospital. Maybe it isn't accurate. Is anyone getting positive results on this "new" C4a complement test through Labcorp? (You will know if you had the new one done if your hospital had to order a "kit" from Labcorp before drawing the blood. You will also know by how quickly the test comes back--3 or 4 days.)

I emailed Shoemaker's website today and their response was "The C3a and C4a should be done at Quest. LabCorp tests are inaccurate for these labs."

[Christianmom]

I emailed Shoemaker's website today and their response was "The C3a and C4a should be done at Quest. LabCorp tests are inaccurate for these labs."

Thank you so much for checking! Hopefully the word gets out.

[Christianmom]

I tried today to have my son's c3a/c4a complement tests re-done through Quest. My Quest lab will not send it on to National Jewish Health. Apparently, each Quest lab is independently owned and can do what they want. It doesn't matter that my insurance is in-network with them. So I will have my local hospital send my son's blood directly to National Jewish and they will be charged as out-of-network tests.

 

I confirmed all this with National Jewish Health (if you call them, choose option "0" and then the "complement department" option, or you will be put on hold a long time; they are very, very helpful). They agreed that the Labcorp test was inferior. Apparently every so often Labcorp decides to bring this test in-house and it has always been a problem. One thing they did say, however, is that the fact that my son's LabCorp version of these tests came back extremely low is a sign that the National Jewish tests would have come back normal as well. She said error with the complement tests are usually in false positives (because of the way the blood has to be handled before being sent), not in false negatives. But I will have it re-run anyway.

[philamom]

I tried today to have my son's c3a/c4a complement tests re-done through Quest. My Quest lab will not send it on to National Jewish Health. Apparently, each Quest lab is independently owned and can do what they want. It doesn't matter that my insurance is in-network with them. So I will have my local hospital send my son's blood directly to National Jewish and they will be charged as out-of-network tests.

 

I confirmed all this with National Jewish Health (if you call them, choose option "0" and then the "complement department" option, or you will be put on hold a long time; they are very, very helpful). They agreed that the Labcorp test was inferior. Apparently every so often Labcorp decides to bring this test in-house and it has always been a problem. One thing they did say, however, is that the fact that my son's LabCorp version of these tests came back extremely low is a sign that the National Jewish tests would have come back normal as well. She said error with the complement tests are usually in false positives (because of the way the blood has to be handled before being sent), not in false negatives. But I will have it re-run anyway.

Good to know -- thank you.

[MA1949]

Just looked it up...Quest Diagnostics, full name of test on lab result is: NJC-C4a, C4a. The normal range is 0-2830.

 

Looked NJC-C4a up at Quest's website. Looks like this test goes through the Jewish Center. I'll be looking into having the test re-done. Thank you all ao much! I don't know where my son would be without this forum.

 

Hi...new here, mold patient, do not have Lyme. I have had the c4a done with both the Jewish lab, last January, and through LabCorp, about six weeks ago. Both results were in the 8000s, on cholestyramine. The latter result, through LabCorp, was about 200 lower than the first result, but I am living in a less moldy environment now.

 

On other things I have read here.....just had the staph test done, and I can see why a child would object strenuously to the discomfort of the swab if done correctly. As an adult with a relatively high pain threshold, I found it uncomfortable but did not find it necessary to kick the shins of my doctor. Test was positive, BTW, and I am eagerly awaiting the nasal spray to get to treating it. I've experienced *intense* burning when I dealt with nasal issues using a nasal spray of colloidal silver plus some DMSO, so think I'll be reasonably prepared to deal with the burning I've read about here with the antibiotic nasal spray. The way I described it the first time I used my home-made spray, if I had known ahead of time the level of burning that would ensue, I might not have done it. However, over a period of several weeks, the burning went essentially to zero. Then I stopped using it, not understanding at the time that I was treating MARCoNS.

 

My recent MSH was <8, VIP was 10. January MSH was 5 (but doctor for some reason thought he should multiply it by 10 and that put me at 50 in his mind) and VIP was not tested.

 

BTW, I am working with someone who is taking Shoemaker training. He's a neophyte but only 15 minutes from where I'm living.

 

MA

[ontariogal]

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum. I live in Canada and was told by a doctor here that I have Lyme, Bartonella, Babesia, Cytomegalovirus and a few other things but that was a clinical diagnosis and doctors in Canada cannot without risk of losing their licenses treat chronic Lyme. I went to a doctor in New York who has treated Lyme disease for over 25 years. He ordered some tests-one of them is the C4A test. I went to a lab here in Canada yesterday and they had never heard of it. Is there anyone posting here from Ontario,Canada who knows where one can get this test done. Is this test diagnostic for Lyme?