Q: I am a 41 years old man who has been suffering from cold and fever for the last few days. After taking medicines for 3-4 days the doctor suggested CBC and ESR test, though CBC was normal; ESR count was high e.g., 61. What should I do to bring the ESR count down? What does the high ESR count means? Kindly note that my HLA B27 was found positive and C reactive protein was also positive about 10 years back. These tests were done because at that time I was suffering from severe pain in my back and wrist joint but now I don't have any such problem. Please advise.

A:You are a patient with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune genetic disease that affects the spine and joints in the body. For the treatment of this disease, please do NOT waste time and immediately consult a rheumatologist as soon as possible. Remember there are some wonderful drugs now available for this disease. And, to the best of scientific knowledge, other systems of medicines have absolutely nothing to offer for this disease.

One important thing to remember is that it is a genetic disease. Therefore, some or the other drug will have to be continued throughout life. But, all this has to be done only under care of a rheumatologist.

Of course, your ESR indicates that your disease is very active and needs immediate treatment before it is too late and damage sets in. Hurry and contact a rheumatologist urgently.