lyme disease cbc blood test results

Because these tests are newer, not all doctors have experience with them and not all labs have access to them. For more information on getting the proper diagnosis and treatment for your tick-borne disease, read the IGeneX blogs The Importance of Getting the Right Diagnosis and How to Find Doctors Who Can Help with Your Tick-Borne Disease. This bacterial infection is spread through the bite of a young deer tick or black-legged tick. It takes a few days to get results. If you have neurological symptoms, your doctor may consider a spinal tap. This can happen with tests like the ELISA, PCR test, and Western blot. Read Also: My Dog Tested Positive For Lyme. As noted, not every test is conclusive, and positive results may not always mean you have Lyme disease. Infection with other diseases, including some tickborne diseases, or some viral, bacterial, or autoimmune diseases, can result in false positive test results. If you think you were infected in the past several weeks or months, you can ask your doctor to consider using a second ELISA test. Verywell / Jessica Olah Types of Tests When Lyme disease is suspected, the first steps are an assessment of symptoms and the likelihood of tick bite. If so, ask if the positive bands on the Western blot, along with your symptoms and risk factors, suggest that you could have Lyme disease. Some people with Lyme disease never develop a rash, so the absence of a rash does not mean that you don't have Lyme disease. Use this guide to speak with your doctor about your concerns and discuss what the results may mean for your health. Lyme disease tests are conducted with a routine blood draw. The CDC recommends that doctors first order an ELISA to screen for Lyme disease and then confirm Lyme disease with a Western blot. When discussing your results with your healthcare provider, dont be shy; engage in the dialogue, and try to learn as much as you can about your condition. Heres a quick primer on the kinds of results you might encounter: Typically, youll have an appointment or phone conversation with your healthcare provider to discuss your results. The bad news is that blacklegged ticks are so small they're almost impossible to see. ), Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium calledBorrelia burgdorferi. Although an in-house vet lab may deal with a large range of canine blood work, the following are a few of the most typical laboratory tests for dogs: Blood Parasite Test: A percentage of your dog's blood (3 drops) will be checked to see if they are contaminated with common, lethal blood parasites, including Lyme Disease and Anaplasmosis. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 61. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.). Preparation may vary depending on the specific test. They may also use their own criteria, which is different from criteria used by the CDC, for interpreting test results. Lyme disease diagnosis typically is based on your medical history and current symptoms, not the results of your blood test. Still, the information may help your doctor decide which tick-borne infections to test you for. The location of the darker bars in your test result determines whether you likely have Lyme disease. Using todays tests it is difficult to distinguish between current and previous infections, so if you were previously diagnosed with Lyme disease and may have been re-infected, your doctor should make the diagnosis based on your symptoms and risk factors. 2023 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College. . Free shipping both ways; Easy-to-use cheek swabs; Fast results; . Request A Test sells discounted routine blood tests online through LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Protecting People., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). Don't be afraid to speak up if you disagree with your doctor about their interpretation of your test results. Below normal range = albumin/globulin ratio, AST (SGOT), bilirubin, calcium, anion gap, potassium and osmolality calculated. The test checks your sample for antibodies that your immune system makes to fight the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. This test measures the level of Borrelia antibodies in your blood. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. During the first few weeks of infection, such as when a patient has an erythema migrans rash, the test is expected to be negative. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. The Lyme disease blood test looks for antibodies in the blood to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Paloma At Home Thyroid Blood Test Kit New in Box . If you're already experiencing flu-like symptoms, a false-negative result from blood tests is likely. Pediatr Infec Dis J. A persistently high QC6 suggests treatment may not have been complete or that the dog became reinfected after treatment was stopped. At this point, a medical provider will order a Western blot test to confirm the presence of Lyme disease. Lyme disease spread by ticks can be diagnosed with a simple blood tests in your veterinarian's clinic. Frontiers in Medicine, 2021. HDL 36. A negative test result is normal. The immune system recognizes antigens and produces antibodies that destroy substances containing antigens. Complete Blood Count (CBC with Differential) This test measures cellular components of blood: White Blood Cell count (WBC): Low WBC (< 4,000) can indicate chronic infection with a virus or low-virulence bacteria such as mycoplasma, but it can also occur in healthy people. Other Lyme Disease Tests. Your doctor may order further testing, however, if you are symptomatic. David Ozeri, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist from Tel Aviv, Israel specializing in arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and biologic therapies. Since results and interpretation of blood tests vary from lab to lab, ask your physician if it would be possible to send the blood to more than one lab. So the next time you're out in the woods or high grass, wear protective clothing, and do check yourself for ticks once you get home. The accuracy of diagnostic tests for Lyme disease in humans, a systematic review and meta-analysis of North American research. Sometimes, it takes up to a few weeks or months after the tick bite to notice the following: While it is okay get checked early, Lyme disease test results numbers are more authentic a few weeks after youve been bitten by a carrier-tick. If this first step is negative, no further testing is recommended. It is possible for someone who was infected with Lyme disease to test negative because: If you are pregnant and suspect you have contracted Lyme disease, contact your physician immediately. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests. This article was medically reviewed by Sarah Gehrke, RN, MS. Sarah Gehrke is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Massage Therapist in Texas. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
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