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ana titer 1:160

My 10 year old son was complaining of knee pain ( he is very active) but had no injury to his leg.  The doctor did the ana titer test and It came back positive w/ a  speckled pattern 1:160.  He has an appointment to go see a doctor @ Mass General in Boston.  Is his ana titer on the low side?  I am very worried for him, and I know that the doctors are doing all the right tests for him, MRI-more blood work.  Also does anyone know if scarlet fever has any type of relationship with these tests?  My son had scarlet fever 3 times.  Thank you for your help.  Jenn9
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1453990 tn?1329231426
Last I knew, 5-15% of the population has a positive ANA with a non-specific (speckled pattern).
The local lab here considers 1:160 dilution or higher positive.  As adults age (60+,) the percentage of positive ANAs goes up.  

A Child Rheum. might be a good bet.  They should rule out some of the things kids get into.  I deer country, that includes Lyme's, and the other co-infections that go with it.

Bob
Helpful - 0
1649629 tn?1301497923
Jenn could you please contact me about the above post. I'm having the same problem with my 10 year old son. I'm very concerned at this point.
(985) 381-7779
Thank you,
Brandyc4
Helpful - 0
1649629 tn?1301497923
Jenn,
I'm having the same EXACT problem with my 10 year old son. His A & A recently came back positive. His WBC count is low as well. His pediatrician recommended that we see a child Rhuematologist. I'm am extremely concerned at this point. If you have any information or could be  of any help could you please contact me ASAP.  My email is: ***@****
Thank You, Brandyc4
Helpful - 0
378497 tn?1232143585
I had SF as a child. I developed a heart murmur, possibly because of that. But my ANAs have always been normal (negative), as far as I know.

Bio
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147426 tn?1317265632
Well, Heather pretyy much said it all.  A titer of 1:160 is pretty low.  In the presence of arthritis and/or an elevated Sed Rate it, still might be important.  For the majority of kids with a low-positive ANA it doesn't indicate a true underlying disease.

Scarlet Fever is the just rash of the strep germ, especially of strep throat, though the infection can be other places.  It is not really a separate disease than a strep infection.
It was named at a time when they could see the rash, but didn't know much about bacteria.  Strep infections can lead to Rheumatic Fever which is a disease of arthritis and heart damage.  RF was far more common 50+ years ago.  It all but disapeared, but is making a combeback as the strep germ evolves and mutates.  I don't think Scarlet Fever is associated with a postive ANA, but I would have to look it up.  It is associated with some oddities like a form of psoriasis and with sudden development of Obseesive Compulsive Disorder.  So, clearly a strep infection "messes with" the immune system!

I'm glad your son is getting good follow up for this.  Does your son have findings of true  arthritis in his knee?  This would be redness, warmth, pain and swelling in the knee?

Quix
Helpful - 0
195469 tn?1388322888
I just got this from a search that I did on ANA titers...

***ANA Titers and Patterns
ANA laboratory reports include a titer (pronounced TY-tur) and a pattern.

The titer indicates how many times the lab technician had to dilute plasma from the blood to get a sample free of the antinuclear antibodies. For example, a titer of 1:640 shows a greater concentration of anti-nuclear antibodies than a titer of 1:320 or 1:160. The apparent great difference between various titers can be misleading. Since each dilution involves doubling the amount of test fluid, it is not surprising that titer numbers increase rather rapidly. In actuality, the difference between a 1:160 titer and a 1:320 titer is only a single dilution. This does not necessarily represent a major difference in disease activity.

ANA titers go up and down during the course of the disease, and a high or low titer does not necessarily mean the disease is more or less active. Therefore, it is not always possible to determine the activity of the disease from the ANA titer. A titer above 1:80 is usually considered positive. Some laboratories may interpret different titer levels as positive, so one cannot compare titers from different laboratories.

The pattern of the ANA test can sometimes be helpful in determining which autoimmune disease is present and which treatment program is appropriate.
The homogeneous, or smooth pattern is found in a variety of connective tissue diseases, as well as in people taking particular drugs, such as certain antiarrhythmics, anticonvulsants or antihypertensives. This homogenous pattern is also the one most commonly seen in healthy individuals who have positive ANA tests.

The speckled pattern is found in SLE and other connective tissue diseases

The peripheral, or rim pattern is found almost exclusively in SLE.

The nucleolar pattern, with a few large spots, is found primarily in people who have scleroderma****


Helpful - 0
195469 tn?1388322888
A normal ANA titer is 1:40 or less.  My last ANA was 1:160 as a matter of fact and the doctor said it was negative.

I have had scarlet fever and I do have MS.  I have had a positive ANA titer at one time and do not know if it was caused by scarlet fever, MS or something else.  An antinuclear antibody (ANA) test measures the amount and pattern of antibodies in your blood that work against your own body (autoimmune).

My granddaughter has Juvenile Rheumatoid arthritis and her was very high.

Heather
Helpful - 0
572651 tn?1530999357
Hi Jenn,
This has to be so worrisome with your son not feeling well.  I honestly don't know enough to comment on this test but I do know where you can get some answers - there is a great site - labtestsonline.org - that is run by lab workers.  You can look at all these tests, what results mean, and other information . There is a link from there page that you can ask an expert about the test.  I have used this link myself and got a very prompt response from a Dr. at UMass that was very helpful.  You may want  to try that for some clues as to what this all means.  They seem to love helping with laboratory mysteries.  


If you get an answer, please feel free to let us know to expand my knowledge!
my best,
Lulu
Helpful - 0
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