Chance of a false positive on Sjogren's blood tests?

[BlueJay]

Hi All,

I'll be getting the blood tests for Sjogren's tomorrow and will be able to see the results online as soon as they are done. I'm trying to prepare myself.
I know that if the tests are negative, I could still have Sjogren's.
What if they are positive? Is that a guarantee that I have Sjogren's or a related auto-immune disorder or is it possible that I could have positive test results but no auto-immune problems?

Thanks for any pointers.

[Guest]

Here is a link to the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation website where they discuss the diagnostic criteria... hope this helps!

http://www.sjogrens.org/home/about-s...nosis-criteria

Good luck with the lab test results!!!

[Nancy Derby]

Hi BluJay:
I was diagnosed with DES and MGD 3 yrs. ago. I went through several tests for RA, Sjogrens, Lupus, all tests and blood work showed no problem, all negative. I wondered if sometimes the tests were wrong, or just didn't show it. I have also read that sometimes there just isn't any answer. I do not buy into the same old answer, "You're getting older." Dry eye I can understand with getting older, but not my Posterior Blepharitis. It is a frustrating feeling when you are told there is no cure and yet, tests show nothing and still no reason why I have the disorder. Maybe testing again later on will show differently. Good Luck.

[daphane]

I think the only way to tell if you have sjrogens is a lip biopsy. A positive ANA test will tell if you might have a auto immune diseases. At least that is what my doc says because i had the lip biopsy. I had another doc tell me that you can all kinds of the s/s but sometimes it can take awhile before Sjrogens will show up. I hear so many different things. I hope and will keep you in my prayers that all is neg

[shakenbake]

I am wondering if a Sjogren's lip biopsy could show a false positive? I've had my parotid and lacrimal glands looked at with an MRI and that was negative. All of my bloodwork was also negative (ANA, Rheumatoid factor ect) My lip biopsy was only a 1.17, so very lightly positive. My rheumotologists are confused and I am very scared. My schirmer's test were 30mm in both eye but that is with 4 plugs.

[farmgirl]

I doubt that you have Sjogrens if everything else is showing negative. The blood work is often negative when you are in fact positive so you can't put much weight on that but if the glands look normal under MRI that is a good sign. To give you an idea of what kind of results a Sjogren's person can get with a Schirmer's test, I think mine was 0 with all 4 puncta plugged cause it pulled the skin off of my eyeball when she took it out. If yours was 30 I would not lose much sleep over it.

[scoelicolor]

I also tested negative for ANA-reflex but show many symptoms of autoimmune diseases. Is it normal to get an MRI test of glands after a negative test? I have never heard of it. Is that to check for atrophy?

[shakenbake]

It’s to check to see if the glands are inflamed. Parotid and lacrimal gland enlargement are symptoms of sjogrens. My rheumatologist was just trying to confirm the diagnosis.

I think my next steps are to go to the sjogrens center at Hopkins to see if I can get a real answer.

My Sjo test results are still pending (I got it done almost a month and a half ago so I have no idea why). I think he lip biopsy and the dry eye is enough for me to conclude it’s Sjogrens. I wish people cared more about this disease so we had better diagnostic tools.