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Has Anyone Had a Cytokine Panel
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jun 16, 2024 | Replies (9)Comment receiving replies
Cytokine panel tests aren't covered by Medicare in Australia and they don't come cheap. That's probably why they aren't done much here at least. Maybe they aren't as much diagnostic use as other tests that are covered?
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I would guess being on Prednisone would render a cytokine panel unreliable if not completely useless. Even a cortisol level is hard to interpret when a person is on prednisone. I asked my endocrinologist if there would be a need to recheck my cortisol level again. He said cortisol levels are so variable they aren't that useful. I suspect Cytokine levels are the same. CRP and ESR are notoriously unreliable too,
Some cytokine panels seem to be affordable $-hundreds but others are $-thousands. I don't think I will be buying one.