Contributed by – Healthians Team
What is the ANA test?
The antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) blood test recognizes an exact protein in the bloodstream of your body. The doctors often prescribe you to undergo this test to rule out lupus or other autoimmune conditions. It can aid the diagnosis of such disorders within your system. Your immune system manufactures antibodies that fight unsolicited invaders to keep you healthy. However, at times the method gets erroneous and your antibodies inaccurately detect your own tissues as threats and attack them.
Lupus is an autoimmune condition where your cells are attacked by your own immune system. Your doctor gets you tested for the antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) in your blood. If they are found, then you may have an autoimmune disease. Your diagnosis involves your test result coupled with a range of other factors including your signs and medical history.
Who should get the test?
Your doctor will prescribe you the ANA test if you show some symptoms that are related to a systemic autoimmune disorder. If you are suffering from an autoimmune disorder, then you might have a variety of symptoms which are ambiguous as they change over time. They either get worse or show sudden outburst between intervals of time.
Some examples of symptoms include low-grade fever where you might experience persistent fatigue and weakness. You might feel pain similar to Arthritis in one or more joints. Your skin might show sensitivity to light with red rashes. In case of the Lupus, rash could be one resembling a butterfly across the nose and cheeks. You may have hair loss with muscle pain and numbness or tingling sensation in your hands or feet. You may suffer from inflammation in organs and tissues including the kidneys, lungs, heart, lining of the heart, central nervous system, and blood vessels.
Why is the ANA test needed?
The test is needed if you are suffering from ANA associated rheumatic diseases. These diseases include Sjogren’s syndrome, an ailment in which the immune system attacks the salivary and tear glands causing dryness in the mouth and eyes. Systemic sclerosis or scleroderma is another associated disorder that causes thickening of your skin. Mixed connective tissue disease is another ailment where a number of autoimmune problems such as lupus and systemic sclerosis occur together. Raynaud’s phenomenon in which the autoimmune process affects the blood flow and in this your fingers change colour in cold temperatures.
What does the test result mean?
A positive ANA test result means that autoantibodies are present in your system. However, further assessment is essential for the final diagnosis as you can have a positive ANA test result without any disease. Positive ANA test results may be reported in different ways depending on the different test methods like the amount of autoantibody presence and patterns of cellular fluorescence. Other conditions in which a positive ANA test result may be seen include Scleroderma also known as systemic sclerosis, drug-induced lupus, a number of medications may trigger this condition. ANA might also occur in people with rheumatoid arthritis, Raynaud syndrome, arthritis, mixed connective tissue disease and other autoimmune conditions. A person previously diagnosed with an autoimmune disease may have a negative ANA test if the condition is in a period of remission.
How is the test done?
This test is similar to other blood tests. A technician inserts a needle into a vein of your arm to collect blood. You might feel some moderate pain. The blood is then sent to a lab for examination.
