If your doctor suspects you have an autoimmune disease, he or she is likely to order a number of tests. MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia [On-line information]. But sometimes, your immune system can mistake parts of your own body for foreign invaders. American College of Rheumatology [On-line information]. You don't need any special preparations for an ANA test. Some infections, autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis as well as other conditions mentioned above can give a positive result for the ANA test.
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Can I have a positive ANA and not have an autoimmune disease? Learn More. Used selectively, the ANA test can be a useful laboratory tool to help confirm or exclude the diagnosis of systemic rheumatic disease.
2012.) They may be less, Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. Pp 10-11, 1998. … Prevalence of Antinuclear Antibodies in 3 Groups of Healthy Individuals. Terms of Use. You may have been directed here by your lab's website in order to provide you with background information about the test(s) you had performed. In subspecialty rheumatology clinics it is reported that <10% of patients referred with low to moderate titre positive ANA are ultimately diagnosed with an ANA-associated rheumatic disease.6, There is no absolute cut-off at which a positive ANA is clinically significant, however the higher the ANA titre the more likely it is to be associated with systemic rheumatic disease.6 Therefore, in patients with high titre ANAs (the definition of which may change between laboratories but often >1:1 280) periodic assessment for development of new symptoms is reasonable. Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA): Test Overview [updated 2016 Oct 31; cited 2017 Nov 17]; [about 2 screens].
In the event of a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.
The diagnosis of systemic rheumatic disease is usually based on a number of clinical and laboratory criteria, so a positive ANA could prompt a more targeted review of the clinical history and examination findings, and additional laboratory testing directed at those potential manifestations (see above). A positive ANA test is not diagnostic of autoimmune disease and is seen in many non-rheumatic conditions as well as healthy individuals.
A person previously diagnosed with an autoimmune disease may have a negative ANA test if the condition is in a period of remission. Patel R, Shahan A. Please allow 2-3 business days for an email response from one of the volunteers on the Consumer Information Response Team. home/medterms medical dictionary a-z list / ana definition. While accuracy of laboratory testing has significantly evolved over the past few decades, some lab-to-lab variability can occur due to differences in testing equipment, chemical reagents, and techniques.