[Igor (OP)]

Are there any blood tests which would definitively show that inflammation was due to auto-immunity
rather than due to an infection (bacterial, viral or protozoan) ?

E.g. a positive auto-antibody tests (e.g. ANA, anti-DNA) are found in both “autoimmune” and infectious diseases.

Is it possible that “autoimmune” diseases are actually infections diseases where the infectious agent is currently unknown ?. 

[Karen W.]

I Have been watching your post and still see no answer so am wondering maybe someone will see it closer and answer .. It is a good question! Welcome  a bit late Igor!

[RD]

hematoxylin bodies are considered pathegonomic for the the multi-system autoimmune disease Lupus (SLE). Seen in tissue not blood.

The LE cell was so termed because of its exclusive presence in the bone marrow of 25 patients with confirmed or suspected SLE at the Mayo Clinic. The first three cases were children, the first a 9-yr-old with, very unusually, hypergammaglobulinaemia, plasmacytosis and Bence-Jones proteinuria, the second, also 9-yr-old, with unexplained anaemia and purpura, and the third a boy with cryoglobulinaemia and purpura [2]. A more conclusive link with SLE came after the LE cell phenomenon was observed in the marrow of a patient with classical SLE.

LE cells are not usually found in peripheral blood, although Sundberg and Lick, also at the Mayo Clinic, observed in 1949 that the LE cell phenomenon could form in the buffy coat of peripheral blood after a period of incubation [3]. LE cells have since been found in synovial fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and pericardial and pleural effusions from patients with SLE.


 http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/40/7/826

[juliemr]

i need help any help is better then none.i have all the symptoms and more of some one who has autoimmune disease.i am so ill i have had many test but always come back ok.i have felt ill since 1994 when i had silicone breast implants put in.i have had may scans on my bobs but i ham told there is no rupture.but know my symptoms are much worse it feels like i just could be dieing slowly.i am always going back to my GP but i feel uncomfortable going to see her now i try not to go but i know i must go.i need to ask her for help but when she asks me what help i want i do not know so i end up going for test that always come back ok is there anything or any one in particular that i should be asking for please help from julie

[Pseudogene]

i need help any help is better then none.i have all the symptoms and more of some one who has autoimmune disease.i am so ill i have had many test but always come back ok.i have felt ill since 1994 when i had silicone breast implants put in.i have had may scans on my bobs but i ham told there is no rupture.but know my symptoms are much worse it feels like i just could be dieing slowly.i am always going back to my GP but i feel uncomfortable going to see her now i try not to go but i know i must go.i need to ask her for help but when she asks me what help i want i do not know so i end up going for test that always come back ok is there anything or any one in particular that i should be asking for please help from julie

Well autoimmune conditions can really fall into three categories.  Those where the damage is essentially entirely inflammatory, as seen in psoriasis, those where autoantibodies are present but are a result of inflammatory damage as sometimes seen in MS, and those where the autoantibody are the primary driver of disease appearance, as in anti-CCP+ rheumatoid arthritis and anti-dsDNA lupus.

All of these rheumatic diseases are subject certain clinical criteria as set out by the 1987 ACR criteria.  Depending on the condition depends on which criteria are met and how many.  The biggest issues that arise here are that autoimmune diseases are very complex with multiple interacting genetic and environmental components, and thus are very heterogenous in their nature.  Current understanding is pointing towards further sub-classification of these diseases based on the clinical manifestations as well as genetic data.  Generally speaking autoantibody presence is a sure sign of disease state and potential progression and is one of the first criteria to be tested, as well as joint erosion by radiograph/imaging.

If you had a severe autoimmune disease you would know about it.  SLE can present with severe nephritis, multiple tissue inflammation and polyarthritis.  If you are genuinely worried then request to see an immunologist/rheumatologist.

[RD]

Meta-Analyses of the Relation between Silicone Breast Implants and the Risk of Connective-Tissue Diseases

Esther C. Janowsky, M.D., Ph.D., Lawrence L. Kupper, Ph.D., and Barbara S. Hulka, M.D., M.P.H.           [16 March 2000]
 
ABSTRACT

Background The postulated relation between silicone breast implants and the risk of connective-tissue and autoimmune diseases has generated intense medical and legal interest during the past decade. The salience of the issue persists, despite the fact that a great deal of research has been conducted on this subject. To provide a stronger quantitative basis for addressing the postulated relation, we applied several techniques of meta-analysis that combine, compare, and summarize the results of existing relevant studies.

Methods We searched data bases and reviewed citations in relevant articles to identify studies that met prestated inclusion criteria. Nine cohort studies, nine case–control studies, and two cross-sectional studies were included in our meta-analyses. We conducted meta-analyses of the results of these studies, both with and without adjustment for confounding factors, and a separate analysis restricted to studies of silicone-gel–filled breast implants. Finally, we estimated the annual number of new cases of connective-tissue disease that could be attributed to breast implants.

Results There was no evidence that breast implants were associated with a significant increase in the summary adjusted relative risk of individual connective-tissue diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, 1.04 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.72 to 1.51]; systemic lupus erythematosus, 0.65 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.35 to 1.23]; scleroderma or systemic sclerosis, 1.01 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.59 to 1.73]; and Sjögren's syndrome, 1.42 [95 percent confidence interval, 0.65 to 3.11]); all definite connective-tissue diseases combined (0.80; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.62 to 1.04); or other autoimmune or rheumatic conditions (0.96; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.74 to 1.25). Nor was there evidence of significantly increased risk in the unadjusted analyses or in the analysis restricted to silicone-gel–filled implants.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/342/11/781

[RD]

i am always going back to my GP but i feel uncomfortable going to see her now i try not to go but i know i must go.i need to ask her for help but when she asks me what help i want i do not know so i end up going for test that always come back ok is there anything or any one in particular that i should be asking for please help from julie

If you have any skin manifestations which come and go you could photograph them to show the doctor,
 as the skin conditions may not be present when you see the rheumatologist.

Possible cutaneous manifestations of autoimmune disease could include "butterfly rash" across the cheeks, coin-sized red discs, flaky-shiny hard tight skin (scleroderma), rash of small red dots (Purpura), fingertips going red/white/blue (Raynauds phenomenon).

[juliemr]

i need help any help is better then none.i have all the symptoms and more of some one who has autoimmune disease.i am so ill i have had many test but always come back ok.i have felt ill since 1994 when i had silicone breast implants put in.i have had may scans on my bobs but i ham told there is no rupture.but know my symptoms are much worse it feels like i just could be dieing slowly.i am always going back to my GP but i feel uncomfortable going to see her now i try not to go but i know i must go.i need to ask her for help but when she asks me what help i want i do not know so i end up going for test that always come back ok is there anything or any one in particular that i should be asking for please help from julie i have had blood test now which says i have high levels of silicon and nickel in my blood so what do i do know ?

[juliemr]

 [?] the contents of SILICONE INJECTIONS are illeagle because it can find its way into the blood stream it is consided dangerous or even lethal,
but is it the same as silicone breast implants which rupture and goes into the blood stream the same
if you look at my other posts on hear you will see that i have silicone in my blood from my breast implants along with nickel which is also found in silicone breast implants please read my other link you may be able to help many thanks