What does C3 and C4 test for?
What does C3 and C4 test for?
C3 & C4 Blood Test measures the levels of Complement component 3 and Complement component 4 in the blood. The complement system comprises of more than 30 proteins in the blood, that play a significant role in the body’s immune system.
What is the difference between Complement C3 and C4?
C3 alone is often decreased in infectious disease (septicaemia, endocarditis), C3 and C4 are often both decreased in immune complex disease, C4 alone is characteristically decreased in angioedema, immune complex diseases particularly vasculitis and in cryoglobulinaemia and cold agglutinin disease.
What causes low C3 and C4 complement levels?
This is the result of an acquired disease. If your C3 and C4 levels are reduced, this may be a sign that you have lupus. With lupus, your total complement level may be slightly lower. Low C3 and C4 levels may also be a sign of alcoholic liver disease.
What does it mean if your Complement C3 is high?
High C3 complement levels indicate inflammation in the body. The inflammation could be due to ulcerative colitis or other acute diseases like sarcoma, leukemia, or Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. These are all different types of cancer.
What does it mean when your complement C4 is high?
Higher-than-normal complement C4 values may be a sign of cancer, ulcerative colitis, and inflammation in general. Lower-than-normal complement C4 values could indicate: bacterial infections.
What does it mean if C3 is low?
Decreased C3 may be associated with acute glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, immune complex disease, active systemic lupus erythematosus, septic shock, and end-stage liver disease.
What does a C4 complement test for?
Complement C4 plays an important role in eliminating certain infections. The complement component 4 (C4) test is a simple blood test that measures the amount of complement C4 circulating in your bloodstream. A low level of C4 is associated with autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
Does low C3 and C4 always mean lupus?
Low C3 and C4 levels, below 60 for C3 and 15 for C4 (in the usual American measure), occur in active lupus, especially in the setting of kidney disease or immune breakdown of blood cells (autoimmune hemolytic anemia, AIHA). Some types of lupus, such as brain disease, do not cause low complement levels.
What is a normal complement C3 level?
The normal range is 88 to 201 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) (0.88 to 2.01 g/L). Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test results.
