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Positive ANA with a nucleolar pattern

Doctor, for the last 9 months I've experienced various symptoms and had a positive ANA of 1:640 with a nucleolar pattern?   I've read that this is typically associated with scleroderma and I am terrified at this thought.  All other tests, including the SCL-70 are negative.  My symptoms are as follows:  mild joint/muscle aches, extreme fatigue, muscle twitching and tremors, occasional numbness and tingling, I have pink rashs that appear mostly on my hands which come and go within 20 minutes or so.  I went to a Rheumatologist who said that at this point he did not have enough evidence to diagnose me with anything.  I do not have any skin tightening/hardening anywhere.  I have a total of 6 little red dots in separate areas of my hands.  I have never had raynaud's.  My main issues seem to be the fatigue and the mild joint ache.  Sometimes I go a few days feeling fine but then the symptoms return.

My question is this:  Because I have such a high positive ANA with a nucleolar pattern, does this mean that I will develop scleroderma?  What are my chances?  And is there anything I can do to slow down the progression of whatever it is that's wrong with me?  Thank you.
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642304 tn?1242606724
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Although you have a few common symptoms of scleroderma, you certainly don’t have enough as your rheumatologist indicated, to have a diagnosis of scleroderma.  That said, you also have some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, fatigue, joint pain, etc. but probably not enough for that diagnosis either.

This smacks to me as another case of chronic bacterial infection(s) that results in a variety of symptoms that are not unique to any diagnosis.  Also, when mixed symptoms are present and a diagnosis cannot be made, the only thing that eventually comes up is the presence of chronic infections.

You should be checked for Lyme Disease, Mycoplasma species, Chlamydia pneumoniae, etc. because these are the most likely culprits.
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
A related discussion, Positive ANA 1:2560 Nucleolar Pattern was started.
Helpful - 0
642304 tn?1242606724
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
It could be that something is still stimulating your ANA, but that it is not severe enough to cause you any obvious symptoms. For example, you could have a mild chronic infection that causes release of nuclear material from a few infected cells--resulting in stimulation of a secondary ANA response (from memory immune cells).  Unless this reaches the point where symptoms appear, most physicians would probably tell you to just keep watch over your condition in order to intervene only if it worsens and causes symptoms that need to be addressed.
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Avatar universal
Hi.Dr..I am chinese female, 21 years old.. About two years ago,I made a blood donation, and i was told that the blood screen showed my ANA is positive, with a speckled pattern..Without any symptoms of autoimmune disease, i was then told to seek for treatment if any of the symptoms occur...two years after that, i go to redo my test,,only after four months i go to check for the result after the test being done..and my ANA still positive, but the pattern change to homogenous..The doctor conducted a ESR test, and the count is very low, about 6..Thus. the doc ask me not toworry..But this has been hard for me. I was quite troubled and stress over my ANA test result..I wonder whether i can change my ana back to negative? is there any way ?
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1060145 tn?1255148009
Hi, I read your question and this could also be Lupus or Sjogrens. It's diffinetely some mix connective tissue disorder. I have these disease and my ANA was like yours. If your SCL70 was negative then probably it's not Scleroderma alto that really doesn't mean anything either. My mother had Scleroderma for 15 years and she always tested negative, GO FIGURE??? These are all my symptoms and these are my diagnosis. But I'm not a doctor so I really shouldn't diagnose anybody, just telling you my experience. Hope you get something difinate.
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