Anti Nuclear Antibody (ANA)
- S6012
Rs 660
- Why Get Tested?
To detect and help diagnose certain autoimmune disorders, such as lupus and Sjögren syndrome, among other types - When To Get Tested?
When a healthcare practitioner thinks that you have symptoms of certain autoimmune disorders - Sample Type:SERUM (SST or Plain)
- Fasting :NO
- Report Delivery:within 48 Hrs of Test Schdule
- Components:1 Observations
Tests Detail
| Observations Included |
| Anti Nuclear Antibody (ANA) |
| The Test marked with (*) are in our NABL Scope. |
Sample Report
- Also Known As:
ANA Fluorescent Antinuclear Antibody FANA Antinuclear Antibody Screen - Formal Name:
- Sample Instructions:
A blood sample drawn from a vein in your arm - Test Preparation Needed?
None; however, certain medications can affect ANA test results, so tell your healthcare provider about any prescription medications, nonprescription medications, or street drugs you use. - What Is Being Tested?
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are a group of autoantibodies produced by a person's immune system when it fails to adequately distinguish between "self" and "nonself." The ANA test detects these autoantibodies in the blood. ANA react with components of the body's own healthy cells and cause signs and symptoms such as tissue and organ inflammation, joint and muscle pain, and fatigue. ANA specifically target substances found in the nucleus of a cell, hence the name "antinuclear." They probably do not damage living cells because they cannot access their nuclei. However, ANA can cause damage to tissue by reacting with nuclear substances when they are released from injured or dying cells. The ANA test is one of the primary tests for helping to diagnose a suspected autoimmune disorder or rule out other conditions with similar signs and symptoms. The ANA test may be positive with several autoimmune disorders. Patients with the autoimmune disorder systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are almost always positive for ANA, but the percentage of patients with other autoimmune disorders who have positive ANA results varies. Also, a significant number of patients with a variety of other types of disorders (and even some heathy people) may be positive for ANA, especially at low levels. - How Is It Used?
The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is used as a primary test to help evaluate a person for autoimmune disorders that affect many tissues and organs throughout the body (systemic) and is most often used as one of the tests to help diagnose systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, a positive ANA test by itself does not diagnose any one particular disease. Depending on a person's signs and symptoms and the suspected disorder, ANA testing may be followed by additional tests for specific autoantibodies. Some of these tests are considered subsets of the general ANA test and detect the presence of autoantibodies that target specific substances within cell nuclei, including anti-dsDNA, anti-centromere, anti-nucleolar, anti-histone and anti-RNA antibodies. An extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) panel (anti-RNP, anti-Sm, anti-SS-A, anti-SS-B, Scl-70, anti-Jo-1) may also be used in follow up to a positive ANA. These supplemental tests are used in conjunction with a person's clinical history and physical examination findings to help diagnose or rule out autoimmune disorders, such as Sjögren syndrome, polymyositis and scleroderma. Different laboratories may use different test methods to detect ANA. Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA)—this method is the traditional approach. A person's blood sample is mixed with cells that are affixed to a slide. Autoantibodies that may be present in the blood react with the cells. The slide is treated with a fluorescent antibody reagent and examined under a microscope. The presence (or absence) and pattern of fluorescence is noted. Immunoassays—laboratories may also use immunoassay to screen for ANA and may only use IFA to confirm positive results or results that are not clearly positive or negative. These methods are usually performed on automated instrumentation. They may be less sensitive than IFA in detecting ANA but may be more specific for autoimmune disorders. - When Is It Ordered
The ANA test is ordered when someone shows signs and symptoms that a healthcare practitioner suspects are due to a systemic autoimmune disorder. People with autoimmune disorders can have a variety of symptoms that are vague and non-specific and that change over time, progressively worsen, or alternate between periods of flare ups and remissions. Some examples of signs and symptoms include: Low-grade fever Persistent fatigue, weakness Arthritis-like pain in one or more joints Red rash (for lupus, one resembling a butterfly across the nose and cheeks) Skin sensitivity to light Hair loss Muscle pain Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet Inflammation and damage to organs and tissues, including the kidneys, lungs, heart, lining of the heart, central nervous system, and blood vessels - What Does The Test Result Mean?
A positive ANA test result means that autoantibodies are present. In a person with signs and symptoms, this suggests the presence of autoimmune disease, but further evaluation is required to assist in making a final diagnosis. Again, some people without disease can have a positive ANA test. Positive ANA test results may be reported in different ways, depending on the test method. Amount of autoantibody present Indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA)—the results are reported as a titer. Titers are expressed as ratios, which are obtained by diluting a portion of the blood sample with saline (salt water). For example, a titer result 1:320 means that one part blood sample was mixed with 320 parts of saline and this was lowest ratio at which ANA was still detected. The lower the dilution ratio at which ANA is still detected, the higher the titer and the greater the amount of autoantibody present. Immunoassay (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA, or enzyme immunoassay, EIA)—the results are usually reported as a number with an arbitrary unit of measure (abbreviated as a "U" on the report, for example). A positive result from this method will be a number of units that is above the laboratory's reference number (cutoff) for the lowest possible value that is considered positive. Patterns of cellular fluorescence In addition to a titer, positive results on IFA will include a description of the particular type of fluorescent pattern seen. Different patterns have been associated with different autoimmune disorders, although some overlap may occur. Some of the more common patterns include: Homogenous (diffuse)—associated with SLE, mixed connective tissue disease, and drug-induced lupus Speckled—associated with SLE, Sjögren syndrome, scleroderma, polymyositis, rheumatoid arthritis, and mixed connective tissue disease Nucleolar—associated with scleroderma and polymyositis Centromere pattern (peripheral)—associated with scleroderma and CREST (Calcinosi - Is There Anything Else I Should Known?
ANA testing is not used to track or monitor the clinical course of lupus; thus, serial ANA tests for diagnosed patients are not commonly ordered once a diagnosis is established. Some infections, autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis as well as other conditions mentioned above can give a positive result for the ANA test. Can I have a positive ANA and not have an autoimmune disease? Yes. About 3-5% of healthy individuals may be positive for ANA, and it may reach as high as 10-37% in healthy individuals over the age of 65 because ANA frequency increases with age. These would be considered false-positive results because they are not associated with an autoimmune disease. Such instances are more common in women than men. Why is it called "antinuclear" antibody? ANA are autoantibodies that are directed against certain components found in the nucleus of a cell, hence the name "antinuclear." Some of the antibodies associated with autoimmune disorders may also be directed against substances in the cytoplasm and may be detected by the ANA test as well. My healthcare practitioner told me my ANA test is positive but isn't sure if I have lupus. How can this be? Autoimmune diseases often have a systemic effect on the body and are very complex by nature. Your healthcare provider will interpret what the test results mean for you and may need to compare your test results as well as the severity of your symptoms over a period of time in order to make a definitive diagnosis. This additional time may also allow your healthcare provider to eliminate other possible causes of your symptoms. In addition to autoantibody tests, what other tests might my healthcare practitioner order? Your healthcare practitioner may also order laboratory tests that detect the presence of inflammation, such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and/or C-reactive protein (CRP). A test for total immunoglobulins may be used to evaluate a person with SLE and a complement test may be done to mo
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