← Return to Aches and pains , what would you do ?

Discussion
ronludington avatar

Aches and pains , what would you do ?

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jan 15 5:34pm | Replies (25)

Comment receiving replies
Profile picture for Mike @dadcue

I had a similar problem with my WBC's and liver enzymes when I first started Actemra. I was told to skip one Actemra injection. I kept my Prednisone dose the same until Actemra was resumed. The safety profile of Kevzara is about the same as the safety profile for Actemra. The risk of side effects is nearly the same for both biologics.

My rhematologist said my WBC's were low but I wasn't at an increased risk of an infection as long as my absolute neutrophil count stayed normal. Neutrophils are white blood cells that act as your immune system’s first line of defense.

As for my liver enzymes being elevated ... I was referred to a liver specialist to get their opinion. The liver specialist determined my elevated liver enzymes were likely from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, now often called Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease or MASLD) caused by my chronic prednisone use.

If it makes you feel better ... my labs last week after more than 5 years of being continuously on Actemra were:
-----------------
ABS NEUTROPHIL
Result
2 K/uL
Reference range
1.7-7.0 K/uL
---------------------
AST*IC
Result
46 U/L (High)
Reference range
11-34 U/L
---------------------
ALT*IC
Result
75 U/L (High)
Reference range
< 54 U/L
--------------------------
The main thing to know is that my labs are stable and aren't getting any worse. I can't remember the last time I had an infection. Some of the infections I had when I was still on Prednisone were brutal and seemed to persist forever.

Jump to this post


Replies to "I had a similar problem with my WBC's and liver enzymes when I first started Actemra...."

@dadcue thanks, my numbers arnt that bad either, they say liver enzymes can be up to 3 x normal. My absolute neutrophils are still in the normal range at 2.5. Before kevzara it was 5 or 6. So I'm still ok there.