logo
logo
Sign in

When and Why Should You Get an Anti-Nuclear Antibody Test Done?

avatar
Ben Wood
When and Why Should You Get an Anti-Nuclear Antibody Test Done?

Your doctor may order ANA testing if you have symptoms such as joint pain, fatigue, skin rashes, or other signs of an autoimmune disease. ANA testing may also be ordered if you have a family history of autoimmune diseases.


It is important to note that a positive Anti-Nuclear Antibody Testing does not necessarily mean you have an autoimmune disease, and a negative ANA test does not necessarily rule out an autoimmune disease. Your doctor will interpret your ANA test results in the context of your overall health and medical history, and may order additional tests or refer you to a specialist for further evaluation.


If the titer is low, this indicates that there are only a few ANA antibodies in your blood. This is a normal reaction that occurs when cells are turning over in the body and the contents of the nuclear compartments are being revealed to the immune system for brief periods of time.


This type of Anti-nuclear Antibody Testing is most effective in diagnosing autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, however, can also be used to detect other autoimmune disorders. The most common autoimmune diseases that can be tested for with ANA are lupus, Sjogren's syndrome and systemic sclerosis. In the laboratory, professionals measure patient’s ANA titer by setting up various dilutions of their sample and then looking for fluorescence on the antibody. They do this by incubating the diluted serum with rat liver and observing the fluorescence of the ANA antibodies that are bound to the rat liver.



Read More:

http://thrivearticles.weebly.com/article/anti-nuclear-antibody-testing-a-popular-blood-test-used-for-diagnosing-autoimmune-diseases-such-as-systemic-lupus-erythematosus


collect
0
avatar
Ben Wood
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more