Autoimmune and inflammation blood tests in Chiswick

Prices start at £39 for an ESR test and £49 for CRP, hs-CRP or rheumatoid factor. Anti-CCP costs £59 and ANA £99. Our Rheumatology Check, with ESR, anti-CCP, rheumatoid factor and uric acid, costs £79, and Rheumatology Extended adds ANA and smooth muscle antibodies for £179. Every price includes a practitioner review and a GP report on request.

Not on its own. Autoimmune conditions are diagnosed by a doctor using your symptoms, an examination and tests together. Antibody results help build the picture: the NHS notes that about 1 in 20 people without rheumatoid arthritis test positive for rheumatoid factor, while people who test positive for anti-CCP are very likely to develop it. Your practitioner will explain what your results mean for you.

Both measure inflammation, in different ways. CRP is a protein made by the liver that rises quickly when inflammation starts and falls as it settles. ESR measures how quickly red blood cells settle in a tube and changes more slowly. Neither shows where inflammation is coming from, so your practitioner reads them alongside your symptoms and other results.

No. A positive ANA is common in healthy people, especially at low levels and in older adults, so on its own it does not mean you have lupus or another autoimmune condition. NHS guidance advises checking ANA when symptoms already suggest a connective tissue disease. Your practitioner will look at the level, your symptoms and your other results, and suggest seeing your GP if needed.

Yes. NICE advises eating some gluten in more than one meal every day for at least six weeks before testing, because cutting it out can give a falsely normal result. If you have already stopped eating gluten, talk to us or your GP before booking. A positive result is usually followed up by your GP with a referral to a specialist.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if you have sudden, severe pain and swelling in a joint, especially with a high temperature or feeling unwell, or a new headache with scalp tenderness or jaw pain when eating, which could be temporal arteritis. Any change in your vision with these symptoms needs same day assessment. In an emergency, call 999.