Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA)

Overview

Antinuclear antibodies, or ANA, are antibodies your immune system mistakenly makes against proteins inside your own cells, and testing for them is one way doctors look for signs of autoimmune activity. A negative result means none were detected, while a positive result means they were found but doesn't by itself prove you have an autoimmune disease — as many as 15% of healthy people test positive, and the rate climbs with age, illness or certain medications. Because of this, a positive ANA is treated as one clue among several, most useful when paired with your symptoms and other test results.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

• What titer and staining pattern did my ANA test show, and how do those numbers change what it means?
• Given my result, what other blood tests, exam findings, or symptoms are you looking at before considering an autoimmune diagnosis?
• Could my age, a medication I'm taking, or a recent illness explain this result?
• If my ANA is positive but I have no symptoms right now, do I need to be retested later, and how soon?
• What new symptoms, like joint pain, rashes or fatigue, should prompt me to come back sooner?

Getting Care

A primary care provider often orders the first ANA test, and a positive result is usually reviewed by a rheumatologist, who weighs it alongside your symptoms, physical exam and additional bloodwork before considering any autoimmune diagnosis. Seek follow-up sooner if you develop new or worsening symptoms alongside a positive result, rather than waiting for a routine check-in.

Source: https://rheumatology.org/patients/antinuclear-antibodies-ana