ANA Test Results? | Arthritis Information

Hi all, I imagine most of you have had the ANA blood test at some point, would you mind sharing your numbers with me? Mine came back strongly positive yesterday at 1:640 and I'm a little freaked out about it. My PCP only told me it's quite high and needs to be addressed by a rheumie. All other tests were normal. My RD appt. is on March 26, so I have a good 2 weeks to read up on this and worry myself silly...thanks for any advice or words of wisdom.

Andrea

Hey- That is usually the first test performed when there is a possibility of Lupus. I had the exact same result the first time. My rheumy performed it again along with other tests that I guess are more Lupus specific. Well the long and the short of it is that I don't have Lupus. As a matter of fact I think it is fairly common for the ANA number to jump around a bit. I hope that helps. Good luck.

My pattern was speckled, which I do believe is common with RA.

Did they do any other tests like the RF rhuemetoid factor? What did the original doctor suggest? Do you have any symptoms?

Yes, they did a lot tests, RF was negative, sed rate was 17, everything else normal. My ANA pattern was speckled and nucleolar. I have had more or less symmetrical joint pain in my hands, swollen fingers, morning stiffness, fatigue, bottom of the foot pain (like walking on sharp rocks), all since July 07. A few years ago I developed Raynaud's pretty bad but that seemed to go away. Anyway, I saw one RD in Sept. but at that time all my tests were negative. He rx'ed Plaquenil and Prednisone (which worked amazingly well) and when I started feeling better in December I (stupidly) quit the Plaquenil. Then about a month ago all the symptoms started coming back, so I went back on the Plaq. But I didn't like my original RD so I decided to call my PCP and also try to get in to a different RD. My PCP ordered this round of tests, but she seemed completely unable to interprete the ANA result except to say it's very high and you need an RD to figure out why. I was convinced I had early, mild RA based on my symptoms (and extensive googling), but now that I see that word "nucleolar" in my ANA result, every time I google it I get pointed towards an autoimmune disease called scleroderma. I've managed to put myself in a complete panic over that prospect and I don't know how I'll be able to forget about it for two weeks. Anyway, thanks for listening and letting me vent, sorry to be so long-winded. Just knowing that you had the same ANA numbers and don't have scleroderma helps tremendously.

Best wishes,

Andrea

No problem. As a side note, make sure they do a CCP test (Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide). This test can detect RA in very early stages. Feel free to PM me your results when you get them, I will cross my fingers for good news . Good luck. LaMy first ANA test was 320 and speckled and the one the RD did was 1:1280 and speckled but I still don't have lupus or any specific autoimmune diagnosis. Don't panic over your results. I've learned that these tests could mean something or they could mean nothing. Scleroderma, I understand, is quite rare and I'm sure it takes much more than that one test to diagnose it. Your RD will probably do his/her own tests and then you'll know just what you're dealing with. Then if needed you'll start the meds that will help you nip this all in the bud. You're going to be OK.

BTW, can anyone tell me what an RA titer is?

Jesse882008-03-11 17:50:44_popupControl();^ ANA is quite common in auto-immune diseases and 5% of the general population has a high ANA even though there is nothing wrong with them, so I wouldn't freak out just yet. Your RD should give you an anti-ds DNA, anti-Sm, and ENA blood test to exclude lupus; and an anti-CCP test to test early RA. They should give you a picture of what they think is going on within the first 6 weeks. Don't stress. It's going to be ok.

^ isn't a RA titer RF >95%?
Former.. I had the exact same ANA reading in May 07.... and then they proceeded to test me for everything they could autoimmune.. all Negative..

and I read that the speckled nuclear patter was Scleroderma......and I panicked!! I have a friend w/ that...and it's horrid for her.

It wasn't til October that I got an RA diagnosis.. based on symptoms.. and RD's visual exams of all my inflamed joints and the fluid he drew from my knee..

try not to panic... wait til you see the dr... just go w/ questions in hand about anything you wonder about... or want to know..

mine was 1/10240...and I freaked. I know it's hard to get it off of your mind until your doctors appt, but your appt. is only 2 weeks away.

Remember, ANA Titers double...so it's 1/80, 1/160, 1/320, 1/640, 1/1280, 1/2560, 1/5120, 1/10240 etc...........

My test results said ANA Direct... I'm not sure how that differs from the ratio results, but anyway it was 710. My PCP said that was very high and because I was also having very bad joint pain, I was told to see the RD.

My test results sound much like yours -- everything negative, but the joint paint was horrendous. At one point I could barely hold a fork, much less cook a meal. Given that and the ANA, the RD diagnosed me with RA. The lupus tests were negative.

I've been only on Plaquenil for 5 months and feel terrific, "almost" completely normal again. :)

I'll have a follow-up ANA test done in April. Judging from how much better I feel, I'm optimistic that it will be way down.

Mine was 1:1280 with both speckled and homogeneous patterns.

Thanks so much to everyone for your comforting responses. I feel so much better today after reading these posts! I also found several things on-line that said the nucleolar pattern is most prone to errors in reading, in fact all the pattern results are subjective and fairly inaccurate (from a Dr. at Johns Hopkins).

I don't post much here but I read every day and I knew I could count on this great group of people to help me out. What a valuable resource this board is. I will keep you posted after I see the RD in 2 weeks.

Best wishes and

Andrea

Formermaid,

The antinuclear ANA pattern is highly suggestive of scleroderma, and so are your symptoms. Your doctor should request the SCL-70 and anticentromere B tests if he hasn't already, and should be examining your nailfold capillaries microscopically to check for dilated capillary loops. Unfortunately most rheumatologists don't order the separate anticentromere B antibody nor do they do the nailfold capillaroscopy. I've had 3 rheumatologists who did neither of these things. It was only when I started going to scleroderma specialists that they did capillaroscopy, and ordered a confirming anticentromere B test.

I was finally (August 2010) recently diagnosed with limited systemic scleroderma. My autoimmune symptom began in 1985, but no one thought to do an ANA test until 1997. Since 1997 my ANA has ranged between 2560 and 640, with various staining patterns. When Quest does it they usually find speckled pattern, but once antinucleolar, and once anticentromere. When LabCorp does it it always is interpreted as a homogeneous staining pattern.

For years my rheumatologists, one after another (3 of them!) were futzing around with this, and finally I got my neurologist (after witnessing an attack of Raynaud's in his office) to order an anticentromere B test. It came through hugely positive. Then I went to two scleroderma specialists. The first was Dr. Wigley, who ordered the anticentromere B test for the second time (at which point it was off-the-chart high), and diagnosed me as "undifferentiated connective tissue disease with features of scleroderma." But he didn't seem to want to talk to me about the fact that my cardiologist says my heart muscle is stiffening. So then I went to Dr. Virginia Steen at Georgetown U. and she diagnosed me as having definite limited systemic scleroderma. Dr. Steen said I have the mildly dilated nailfold capillary loops typical of scleroderma.

I have swollen fingers, Raynaud's in my feet, a narrowed opening into the back of the throat causing me to have severe obstructive sleep apnea despite not being obese, slow swallowing (food tends to linger in the lower esophagus), positional GERD, at least one telangiectasia (on a fingertip), tendonitis, rotator cuff shoulder inflammation, loss of hair from my limbs, neuropathic pain in hands and feet, erythromelalgia in palms and soles, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (stiffening of the left ventricle of the heart), bottom-of-the-foot pain, ringing in the ears, mild high frequency sensorineural hearing loss, dry and itchy skin, lower legs that are extremely tender to touch, probable mild Sjogren's syndrome (Schirmer's tear test 1/3 of normal), Hashimoto's thyroiditis with hypothyroidism, 5 herniated discs, and some spontaneous fusion of vertebrae (possible ankylosing spondylitis beginning - Dad had lots of spontaneous fusion of his lumbar vertebrae). So basically, I have scleroderma, plus other autoimmune stuff which frequently goes along with it.

But all the separate antibodies in the ENA panel were negative! But that's because the ENA panel DOES NOT INCLUDE anticentromere B! You have to ask for it separately, and none of my rheumys were doing that! Not only that, but recently there is a new ANA test that won't show positive if anticentromere antibodies are the only thing present. Last fall I got my first ever false-negative ANA on the same day that the anticentromere B test done at a different lab was off the chart positive: >8.0 where the normal range is 0.0 to 0.9. Previously I'd had about 15 ANAs in a row that, as I said, ranged from 640 to 2560.

Speckled pattern is probably the most common ANA pattern for limited systemic scleroderma, and where none of the ENA panel lupus indicators are positive, your docs really should be requesting the anticentromere B test. LabCorp has it. Some labs don't. Incidentally, I have no skin hardening yet. I just notice that sometimes the areas next to my cuticles get a little redness on this finger or that. It comes and goes. And sometimes a cuticle will decide to stick straight up and have to be clipped off. And lately, I've noticed that the skin between my cuticle and first knuckle is looking much shinier than the rest of the skin on my fingers. My Dad had all the scleroderma things going on except skin hardening. He had the Raynauds, GERD, neuropathy, sensorineural hearing loss, hiatal hernia, diverticulitis, constipation with fecal impactions, heart trouble, etc. He died of his heart problem ultimately but never did get any skin hardening. Unfortunately he never went to a rheumatologist. If he'd gone to one of my current scleroderma docs, I'm sure he'd have been diagnosed with scleroderma sine scleroderma, a variety of scleroderma without skin hardening. His mother at 79 had the purse-string mouth so often pictured in limited systemic scleroderma or CREST. She, too, had the chronic foot pain, sensorineural hearing loss, and probably more besides, but she lived about a thousand miles away from us, so I don't know the full extent of her health problems.I wish you all the best. I also learned a thing or two about ANA test. I have Sjorgren's yet I always test negative for ANA.

Then my RA was in suppossed remission. Well it is certainly not now. I was RF positive for the past three years then negative again. My anti-ccp stays positive always at higher readings.

So maybe I could ask about some of these blood test. I guess they already know I am ANA positive because I have Sjorgren's so I guess the doctors do not care for as much accuracey as we do all of the time.

It seems the test are a good tool yet they all can mean so many different things. I think most RD's look at what is going on with you physically and try to make a decision based on how you are doing.

Auto immune diseases can drive you crazy trying to pin point them to a blood test. I think often times we all wonder if we are being properly diagnosed or how many different disorders we may end up with in our life time.

I hope you can get some rest and comfort in the mean time while you wait for your appointment.

I realize that these postings are from 2008, so where are all of these people now? We still have Babs and Milly and I am grateful for that. DaisyDo thank you for all of this information. I am so sorry for all of your health problems. I get wierd cuticle stuff also. My esophogus has been the pits scince I was in my twenties, well maybe before that but I did get a dx of barrettes in my twenties I am forty seven now.

Well I can not have cold drinks as my esophogus spasms closed shut also but that scince I was a young child. A glass of cold milk would send me to the floor clenching my chest when I was seven.

I have the raynauds and Sjorgren's also. Honestly no doctor can give me any help more than a temporary treatment to get me threw the week at best most of the time.

To diagnose me shoulld be the easy part as treating me is nearly impossible. So many allergies and conflicting health problems that if there was a medicine to treat what I do or do not have the likely hood that I could actually take the medicine would be slim to none.

I loved your post. I myself have simply been beaten down by circumstances so many times that I have little fight left in me in for seeking the truth.

The pharmasist asked if I was still battleing the same infection? I thought him nieve to think it should go away. Maybe with some heroic messures such as a sinus transplant and a bubble?

I see someone probably once a week just to fight a never ending infection. If I wait two weeks I am so ill it is rediculas. I did show improvement today the swelling is down. I must however drink lots of water as my ears are dry. That is on the inside so how can you put moisture drops inside your of ear tubes? Drink lots of water.

My feet and ankles are bad. My shoulder nearly unusable on a good day. Even Mayo clinic has told me they wished they knew exactly what is wrong with me. Something they admit and even something auto immune inflamatory arthritis.

So I go to my doctors and sometimes we get along well. Other days we argue over what is best for me at current time. I wait and see what next reveals it's self to the plate for diagnosis.

If I had a better track record with taking meds either because of infections or allergies. Then some do not seem to even help. So I think it has to be something different about me that makes me this way.

I do see on this forum that others have big challenges to over come also and feel less strange. I will ask about these bloodtest at my next appointment and make sure they have been requested at some point or another.

I guess I just assume that they had been done.

I hope you are getting some relief from your diagnosis. That is I hope the doctors have good medicine to help you feel better.

Back from my chores and on with my story. I had just come from the dentist in May to have a tooth pulled and on to the RD.

I was very sick and still have been on abx scince. So I bragged about how well the Lyrica and Cymbalta were working. Except to say that the Sjorgren's and allergies were awful. The Cymbalta, Allegra, Flexeril and Singulair were out weighing the benifits of the pilocarpin and my teeth were paying the price of no saliva.

The RD says I want to run your bloodwork. He said he guessed that my RA was in remission. So there he said it. He said I had RA but it was in remission. Strangly enough my RF was negative. So I thought all of the pain relief was from the Lyrica LOL the novacain was still in full gear having come from the dentist office.

I was never convinced that I was in remission. Just I thought that the RD wanted me off meds because I had a bad infection.

So I poundered the idea that it could be possible for me to be in remission from RA? I still had more pain and problems then I would expect from one in remission. Sjorgren's does not go into remission. Some of my pain and problems could stem from that. Of course I also have had fibro for a hundred years. My swelling was down but I thought that was from a prednisone shot for allergies.

So I must admit that the Lyrica which does aid in pain and muscle spasm control was not enough relief alone at this presant time. By far and wide I am taking more medicine than I was that day in May for pain.

I have quit my long walks across town three times a week for excercise. Seriously I have lost the energy. Well maybe it is possible for me to go back into remission soon.

Well the very best news. My Ears Nose and Throat said the twenty mgs of pred is helping my sinuses. Back on Leviquin today. I had to give it a break and take clyndamyicin for a few weeks.

The Leviquin long term messes with my seritonin levels, does not go well for me with pred it keeps me up for days at a time with little or no sleep. So you get more Milly post. I was encouraged by my ent to take them both together and possibly get a clean bill of health for a minute or two in the future.

So many different diseases mimick one another. I get cuticle problems yet I never had them examined by a lab of course. I looked up pictures of swollen cuticles and found that they can occur in RA, Lupus and Scleroderma. Something of a vascular problem.

In this crazy auto immune rat race we live in I just take it day by day. Anything can and will happen. I hold little stock in bloodwork or test of any kind in my world. Well I do not believe a negative test and RD's say a positive test just means truely watch this person and see what presents.

I am sure that there are true and difinative test for some auto immune diseases. I do think that like any disease that has a specific test someone will slip through the cracks and come out false negative. UCTD often takes a long time to get dx'd. Maybe with newer science these long waits for diagnoses can be a thing of the past.