Cryoglobulinemia

[heyjude0701]

Cryoglobulinemia is rare and is probably not the cause of most dry eye, but I want to bring it up in case it may be relevant for anyone else here on the forum. I was recently diagnosed with cryoglobulinemia, and it may be what is causing my dry eye. I've had severe dry eye for 6 years. I tested negative for Sjogrens, but because I've also had dry skin, rosacea, fatigue, arthralgia and muscle weakness I was still wondering if I might have an autoimmune disorder. Six months ago I developed vasculitis and have had a skin rash on my legs since then, along with some peripheral neuralgia and Reynauds. I went to many doctors over the last 6 months and still could not get a diagnosis for what is causing the vasculopathy and neuropathy in my legs. Finally a doctor at UCSF tested me for cryoglobulins and found that I have cryoglobulins in my blood stream, which are causing the vasculopathy and neuropathy. In researching cryoglobulins, I discovered that they can cause dry eyes. So, particularly for anyone who has other symptoms of autoimmune disorders such as Sjogrens but test negative, you may want to be tested for cryoglobulins. We still don't know if cryo is causing my dry eyes or if it is just a coincidence that I have both, but I thought I should mention it here in case it can help anyone.

[shakenbake]

What is the treatment for this and what kind of doctor can text you?

[heyjude0701]

How it is treated depends on what is causing the cryoglobulinemia (in my case, we don't know yet). I was diagnosed by a dermatologist but often it is a rheumatologist who diagnoses. Who treats it depends on what parts of the body it is affecting.

[shakenbake]

What kind of disease is it? Is it another auto immune?

[heyjude0701]

It can be an autoimmune disease or it can be a result of a virus. It is sometimes associated with hepatitis C. Sometimes it can be associated with a blood cancer such as multiple myeloma or lymphoma or Waldenstroms macroglobulinemia. Sometimes no cause can be found. There is not a lot of research on cryoglobulins because it is a rare disorder.