Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA)

ANA (Antinuclear Antibodies) Test

What To Think About

• Autoimmune diseases cannot be diagnosed by the results of the ANA test alone. A complete medical history, physical examination, and the results are other tests are used with the ANA test to help identify autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis.
• Some healthy people can have an increased ANA titre. For instance, some people with a family history of autoimmune disease may have a high ANA titre. The higher the titre, however, the more likely it is that the person has an autoimmune disease.
• ANA levels can increase as a person ages.

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Author:	Douglas Dana Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: August 31, 2006
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Tom Bailey, MD - Family Medicine Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology
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