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a very rare inflammatory disease called Multicentric Reticulohistiocyt
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 2 hours ago | Replies (31)Comment receiving replies
@jabrown0407 I have all the results from all the blood and tests they have taken and they say the ANA is negative. No Autoimmune. It's a skin issue and RA. I go to the Rheum this afternoon. He has to wean me off the Prednisone one way or another. Been on it since 2/27.
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@midniteangelcloudjum
Here is what my AI tool says -
"No — a negative ANA does not rule out autoimmune disease. It only rules out the ANA‑associated autoimmune diseases.
The real meaning of a negative ANA
A negative ANA simply means your immune system is not producing antinuclear antibodies at detectable levels. That’s all it means.
It does NOT exclude many major autoimmune or inflammatory diseases.
These conditions are often ANA‑negative - PMR; Giant cell arteritis; ANCA‑associated vasculitis (GPA, MPA, EGPA)' Rheumatoid arthritis (about 20–30% ANA‑negative); Psoriatic arthritis; Crohn’s disease / ulcerative colitis; Autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s, Graves’); Celiac disease; and Autoinflammatory syndromes (IL‑1/IL‑6 driven, not ANA‑driven)
These diseases use different immune pathways (IL‑6, IL‑1β, TNF‑α, Th17, etc.) and do not rely on ANA‑type autoantibodies.
Food for thought- unfortunately autoimmune problems are not easy to identify and even harder to treat. Your doctor is only able to wean you off any drug if your body cooperates. I have been sick since 2019 and it took a year for any doctor to Dx PMR and been treated since then. Your body is in charge, not you, not your doctor and certainly not your insurance company. Some people on this site have been treated much longer than I have - all autoimmune problems are chronic - remission is the best case.
BTW you might ask your cardiologist about the ICD and possible drug interaction and your age. In the end any decision is yours. I try hard to understand my risks before agreeing or disagreeing with a proposed treatment. It is not easy for any of us.