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Diagnosis of autoimmune diseases is simple. These diseases present
with complaints of fatigue, tiredness, weakness, pain, stress, anger
which often comes in cycles (remits and relapses) or (waxes and
wanes). If your disease comes in cycles which are days, weeks,
months apart then you have a autoimmune disease process. The
autoimmune diseases are associated with a elevated SED
rate or ESR. (Sed Rate is a simple blood test which measures
inflammation). C-reactive protein (CRP) is blood test used to
measure inflammation & is elevated in autoimmune diseases.
Fibromyalgia patients may present with pain only on the left
side of the body and in a similar way early Parkinson will only
affect the left side of the body. These diseases are immune
mediated.
The human body is the most sensitive machine and one can see and
diagnose most diseases. Try to sense the disease, you can too if you try.
Don't depend on diagnostic tests. Most diseases do not show up on
the tests. Feel with
your fingers and feel the pain, if the patient has a headache then
feel the scalp and if the scalp is tender then two things should
come to mind either it is a vasculitis like Temporal arteritis or it
is a case of Myofacial pain/ Fibromyalgia.
All the inflammatory autoimmune diseases are triggered by proteins
covering bacteria, virus or foods.
One has to act like a detective and sniff out the offender and if
you do not want to go through the process you can read the flame
within e-book form cidpusa.org.
CIDP, patients present with a history of weakness,
numbness, pain and difficulty in walking. Some patients may have a
sudden onset of back pain or neck pain radiating down the
extremities. This pain is usually diagnosed as radicular pain
(radiating pain or going down). The symptoms of CIDP are usually
progressive and may come and go. The patients have difficulty
climbing stairs and use their hands to pull themselves upstairs
(Diagnostic).
On examination the patients may have weakness in hips and
shoulders, loss of deep tendon reflexes (rarely increased or
normal). There may be atrophy (shrinkage) of muscles, fasciculation's
(twitching) and loss of sensation in the feet and hands.
Some patients present with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease ) like
clinical picture. Who have MMF (Multi-Focal Motor neuropathy. As
these patients have no sensory loss, but just weakness. These
conditions are fully reversible.
The patients may present with a single cranial nerve or
peripheral nerve dysfunction. For example, double vision, loss of
hearing, ringing in the ear, face dropping on one side, hoarseness,
facial pain. They can have weak hand grip, numbness in the hands or
feet. Pain in the neck or back .
They may present with abdominal pains, fainting spells while
standing up. Burning pain in extremities.
Not all the patients will have lab abnormalities. In many the
EMG/NCV findings will not show that they have CIDP yet they will
still have the disease.
Click to view different size nerve fibers.
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