Cytokine testing? Is this for measuring inflamation, or infection?

Do you test this as a "panel"? If so, what is it called?

I read that they are classed as lymphokines, interleukins, and chemokines.

thanks

There are many many tests that can be performed to clarify diagnosis and treatment, and a lot of tests can be performed to specify pathways of immune inflammatory response. Some are in wide usage, like procalcitonin measurements, and some are less used, like IL-6. Some measure the interleukins or cytokines themselves, some the metabolic byproducts or effects of inflammation, eg CRP.

But in most of our cases this sort of testing becomes academic quickly once treatment is begun, since we are killing bugs, doing what we can to boost immune function, clearing dead bacterial toxin loads, and beginning to restore normality to a skewed and damaged system. Readings will be haywire!

There will be cytokine storms for many LD patients as this process progresses, and the occurrence of herxes leads one to see that it's a step in healing. Most of the time, a clinician will cease testing for cytokine related labs once out of diagnostic phase and into treatment, and will only retest to answer nagging questions along the way if necessary.

I just had the TGF B1 test ( one of cytokine family )

I was high. Not that high though. My LLMD took that together with my C4a high / C3a low that I still have infections. He said he uses TGF B1 generally used for inflammation.

Something of note that my LLMD mentioned was that TGF B1 on it's own can remain high for a long time with or without infection...See post lyme syndrome. He was looking for my TGF B1 to be "moving in the right direction" by reducing each time I take the test.

Probably not the black and white answers you are looking for. I took all of these panel tests I had to be "marker" tests not necessarily a cue to an "exact" diagnoses. Pretty much what was mentioned above.

JMOON