Aa
What does positive for ANA mean?
Is it going to go away once all the tx drugs are out of my system or is it because of the tx drugs that it's going to stay around and create another problem? tia
"the latest thing is a painless growing joint on one of my fingers"
That's a type of inflammatory reaction. I agree with pooh, I think you need to see a rheumatologist.
Co
Here is a link to another article I found very helpful:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2832720/
You are 5 months post EOT. You could still have some of the drugs in your system. I gave it about 8 months before pursuing the reason why some of my symptoms did not go away. I am not saying you should wait 8 months post-treatment, just saying I did. I had planned to give it 6-7 months to see what went went away and what stayed. Most of my symptoms from Hep C and my symptoms from the treatment drugs gradually decreased and then disappeared post treatment. I completed treatment on Aug. 25, 2012 and by March I felt pretty good. However, I still had a few symptoms, mainly joint and muscle aches and skin issues. I made an appt. and saw an ENT doctor in April (for a separate issue). She ran an ANA test, which was strongly positive. I asked her for a referral to a Rheumatologist. I saw the Rheumatologist in July. She ran numerous tests (about 34 tubes of blood). One of them came back positive. From my symptoms, she strongly suspected an autoimmune disorder (as did I) and she was right. I have Sjogren's Syndrome. I relate my story to reinforce that the Rheumatologist needs to base his/her suspicions and diagnosis on symptoms as well as on blood tests. As an example, I was positive for Sjogren's this time, but I was negative in Jan. 2012 (even though I had Sjogren's in Jan. 2012). Now, I have had Sjogren's for years because I had the symptoms of Sjogren's for years (although not one of my other doctors ever picked up on it). About 50-60 % of people who have Sjogren's will test negative for Sjogrens's, but they still have the disease. This is true with other autoimmune disorders also. Only a certain percentage of people who have the disease will test positive for it. So the Rheumatologist must base a diagnosis on symptoms also. He/she cannot say the blood test is negative so the person does not have it if the person has the physical symptoms.
You may have nothing and that would be great. But be sure they test you very thoroughly and listen to you about your symptoms. Many autoimmune disorders are not diagnosed for years because the doctors are not knowledgeable enough to recognize the symptoms or they do a test which turns out negative and do not know that a large percentage of people with the disorders can test negative for the disorders with a blood test. If one has an autoimmune disorder, it is important to get a diagnosis as soon as possible so that treatment can be started. Early treatment can prevent many of the complication and debilitating effects of the autoimmune disorder. So early diagnosis is important.
Here's hoping that you do not have any autoimmune disorder. However, if you do, it will be good to find out ASAP and start appropriate treatment.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2832720/
You are 5 months post EOT. You could still have some of the drugs in your system. I gave it about 8 months before pursuing the reason why some of my symptoms did not go away. I am not saying you should wait 8 months post-treatment, just saying I did. I had planned to give it 6-7 months to see what went went away and what stayed. Most of my symptoms from Hep C and my symptoms from the treatment drugs gradually decreased and then disappeared post treatment. I completed treatment on Aug. 25, 2012 and by March I felt pretty good. However, I still had a few symptoms, mainly joint and muscle aches and skin issues. I made an appt. and saw an ENT doctor in April (for a separate issue). She ran an ANA test, which was strongly positive. I asked her for a referral to a Rheumatologist. I saw the Rheumatologist in July. She ran numerous tests (about 34 tubes of blood). One of them came back positive. From my symptoms, she strongly suspected an autoimmune disorder (as did I) and she was right. I have Sjogren's Syndrome. I relate my story to reinforce that the Rheumatologist needs to base his/her suspicions and diagnosis on symptoms as well as on blood tests. As an example, I was positive for Sjogren's this time, but I was negative in Jan. 2012 (even though I had Sjogren's in Jan. 2012). Now, I have had Sjogren's for years because I had the symptoms of Sjogren's for years (although not one of my other doctors ever picked up on it). About 50-60 % of people who have Sjogren's will test negative for Sjogrens's, but they still have the disease. This is true with other autoimmune disorders also. Only a certain percentage of people who have the disease will test positive for it. So the Rheumatologist must base a diagnosis on symptoms also. He/she cannot say the blood test is negative so the person does not have it if the person has the physical symptoms.
You may have nothing and that would be great. But be sure they test you very thoroughly and listen to you about your symptoms. Many autoimmune disorders are not diagnosed for years because the doctors are not knowledgeable enough to recognize the symptoms or they do a test which turns out negative and do not know that a large percentage of people with the disorders can test negative for the disorders with a blood test. If one has an autoimmune disorder, it is important to get a diagnosis as soon as possible so that treatment can be started. Early treatment can prevent many of the complication and debilitating effects of the autoimmune disorder. So early diagnosis is important.
Here's hoping that you do not have any autoimmune disorder. However, if you do, it will be good to find out ASAP and start appropriate treatment.
I noticed that medhelp has a "autoimmune disorders" community. There is some interesting posts on ANA.
thanks Pooh for the info and link. Have found it very hard to google anything specific. I have had various aches and pains while on and after tx and the latest thing is a painless growing joint on one of my fingers. Haven't heard back from the doctor yet.
You'd think that 5 months post eot that things would settle down!
You'd think that 5 months post eot that things would settle down!
Normal people can test positive for an ANA. In addition, Hepatitis C can cause a person to have a positive ANA.
If I recall correctly, you have been having some problems with various symptoms. Therefore, if you have a positive ANA in addition to symptoms like joint pains and aches, muscle aches, dry eyes, dry mouth, fatigue, malaise, etc., you really should be tested for autoimmune disorders. You should have a thorough exam and work-up by a Rheumatologist who can determine if your positive ANA is associated with an autoimmune disorder. It is quite possible that nothing is wrong. However, if a person does have an autoimmune disorder, then it needs to be diagnosed earlier rather than later so appropriate treatment can be started.
Here is some information from UpToDate:
"ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES OVERVIEW"
"A healthcare provider may request that a patient have a test for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) as part of an evaluation for possible autoimmune disease. Antibodies are proteins that are made as part of an immune response. Normally, the immune system responds to an infection by producing large numbers of antibodies to fight bacteria or viruses. However, when a person has an autoimmune disease, the immune system malfunctions and may produce large amounts of potentially harmful antibodies directed against one’s own body. These self-directed antibodies are referred to as autoantibodies. Autoantibody-mediated inflammation and cell destruction may affect blood cells, skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and other organs of the body.
The ANA test identifies autoantibodies that target substances contained inside cells. Although the name implies that the test detects only autoantibodies directed against components of the nucleus, the test can also be used to detect antibodies directed against cellular components that are contained within the cell cytoplasm, outside of the nucleus.
Because symptoms of autoimmune disorders often vary from patient to patient, these diseases may be very difficult to diagnose. Together with a healthcare provider’s careful consideration of a patient’s symptoms, physical findings, and other laboratory test results, a positive ANA test may assist in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.
INTERPRETING ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES RESULTS
In the ANA test, antinuclear (or anti-cytoplasmic) antibodies bind to cells that have been fixed on a slide. The addition of a secondary antibody (with an attached fluorescent dye) directed against human antibodies may reveal staining of the nucleus or cytoplasm under a fluorescence microscope. Patient samples are often screened for ANA after being diluted 1:40 and 1:160 in a buffered solution. If staining is observed at both the 1:40 and 1:160 dilutions, then the laboratory continues to dilute the sample until staining can no longer be seen under the microscope. The level to which a patient’s sample can be diluted, and still produce recognizable staining, is known as the ANA “titer.” The ANA titer is a measure of the amount of ANA in the blood; the higher the titer, the more autoantibodies are present in the sample.
It is difficult to standardize the ANA test between laboratories. One approach has been to modify the test reagents such that 30 percent of normal individuals will have a positive test when their sample is tested at a dilution of 1:40. This standardization makes the ANA test very sensitive for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases but results in many false positive results. At a dilution of 1:160, only 5 percent of normal individuals have a positive test for ANA. The 1:160 dilution increases the specificity of the ANA test for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.
ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES TESTING
A positive test for ANA may assist healthcare providers in establishing the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease and may help determine the specific type of autoimmune disease that is affecting a patient.
A negative test for ANA may assist healthcare providers by decreasing the likelihood that a patient’s symptoms are caused by an autoimmune disease.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES
Patients with the following systemic autoimmune diseases may have a positive test for ANA:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (see "Patient information: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Beyond the Basics)")
Scleroderma
Sjögren's syndrome (see "Patient information: Sjögren’s syndrome (Beyond the Basics)")
Mixed connective tissue disease
Drug-induced lupus
Polymyositis/dermatomyositis (see "Patient information: Polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and other forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (Beyond the Basics)")
Rheumatoid arthritis (see "Patient information: Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and diagnosis (Beyond the Basics)")
Pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis
Polyarteritis nodosum
Patients with organ-specific autoimmune diseases may also have a positive test for ANA. These diseases include:
Thyroid diseases (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Grave’s disease)
Gastrointestinal diseases (autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease)
Pulmonary diseases (Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis)
Patients with infectious diseases may also test positive for ANA. These diseases include:
Viral infections (Hepatitis C, Parvovirus)
Bacterial infections (Tuberculosis)
Parasitic infections (Schistosomiasis)
Other associations with positive ANA tests have been noted, including:
Various forms of cancer (rarely)
As a harbinger of the future development of autoimmune disease
Various medications, without causing an autoimmune disease
Having one or more relatives with an autoimmune disease
Some individuals, even those without a relative with autoimmune disease, may have a positive test for ANA and yet never develop any autoimmune disease.
TYPES OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES
If a patient has a positive test for ANA, his or her healthcare provider, depending on the patient’s symptoms or findings on physical examination, may order additional tests to identify specific types of autoantibodies. Some examples are provided below:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) — If a diagnosis of SLE is suspected, then additional tests, looking for autoantibodies directed against double-stranded DNA, Sm antigens, and ribosomal P antigens may be ordered. Because these antibodies are relatively specific for SLE, the results may provide important clues to facilitate the diagnosis of SLE. (See "Patient information: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Beyond the Basics)".)
Sjögren’s syndrome — If a diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome is suspected, the healthcare provider may test for autoantibodies directed against antigens known as Ro/SSA and La/SSB. The presence of these autoantibodies provides support for the diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome, a disorder which involves autoimmune destruction of the glands that produce tears and saliva.
Drug-induced SLE — If a diagnosis of drug-induced SLE is suspected, then a test for antihistone antibodies may be ordered. Antihistone antibodies are nearly always present in patients with drug-induced SLE. If antihistone antibodies are not detected, then the likelihood of this diagnosis (drug-induced SLE) is greatly reduced."
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/antinuclear-antibodies-ana-beyond-the-basics
If I recall correctly, you have been having some problems with various symptoms. Therefore, if you have a positive ANA in addition to symptoms like joint pains and aches, muscle aches, dry eyes, dry mouth, fatigue, malaise, etc., you really should be tested for autoimmune disorders. You should have a thorough exam and work-up by a Rheumatologist who can determine if your positive ANA is associated with an autoimmune disorder. It is quite possible that nothing is wrong. However, if a person does have an autoimmune disorder, then it needs to be diagnosed earlier rather than later so appropriate treatment can be started.
Here is some information from UpToDate:
"ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES OVERVIEW"
"A healthcare provider may request that a patient have a test for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) as part of an evaluation for possible autoimmune disease. Antibodies are proteins that are made as part of an immune response. Normally, the immune system responds to an infection by producing large numbers of antibodies to fight bacteria or viruses. However, when a person has an autoimmune disease, the immune system malfunctions and may produce large amounts of potentially harmful antibodies directed against one’s own body. These self-directed antibodies are referred to as autoantibodies. Autoantibody-mediated inflammation and cell destruction may affect blood cells, skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system, and other organs of the body.
The ANA test identifies autoantibodies that target substances contained inside cells. Although the name implies that the test detects only autoantibodies directed against components of the nucleus, the test can also be used to detect antibodies directed against cellular components that are contained within the cell cytoplasm, outside of the nucleus.
Because symptoms of autoimmune disorders often vary from patient to patient, these diseases may be very difficult to diagnose. Together with a healthcare provider’s careful consideration of a patient’s symptoms, physical findings, and other laboratory test results, a positive ANA test may assist in the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.
INTERPRETING ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES RESULTS
In the ANA test, antinuclear (or anti-cytoplasmic) antibodies bind to cells that have been fixed on a slide. The addition of a secondary antibody (with an attached fluorescent dye) directed against human antibodies may reveal staining of the nucleus or cytoplasm under a fluorescence microscope. Patient samples are often screened for ANA after being diluted 1:40 and 1:160 in a buffered solution. If staining is observed at both the 1:40 and 1:160 dilutions, then the laboratory continues to dilute the sample until staining can no longer be seen under the microscope. The level to which a patient’s sample can be diluted, and still produce recognizable staining, is known as the ANA “titer.” The ANA titer is a measure of the amount of ANA in the blood; the higher the titer, the more autoantibodies are present in the sample.
It is difficult to standardize the ANA test between laboratories. One approach has been to modify the test reagents such that 30 percent of normal individuals will have a positive test when their sample is tested at a dilution of 1:40. This standardization makes the ANA test very sensitive for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases but results in many false positive results. At a dilution of 1:160, only 5 percent of normal individuals have a positive test for ANA. The 1:160 dilution increases the specificity of the ANA test for the diagnosis of autoimmune diseases.
ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES TESTING
A positive test for ANA may assist healthcare providers in establishing the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease and may help determine the specific type of autoimmune disease that is affecting a patient.
A negative test for ANA may assist healthcare providers by decreasing the likelihood that a patient’s symptoms are caused by an autoimmune disease.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES
Patients with the following systemic autoimmune diseases may have a positive test for ANA:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (see "Patient information: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Beyond the Basics)")
Scleroderma
Sjögren's syndrome (see "Patient information: Sjögren’s syndrome (Beyond the Basics)")
Mixed connective tissue disease
Drug-induced lupus
Polymyositis/dermatomyositis (see "Patient information: Polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and other forms of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (Beyond the Basics)")
Rheumatoid arthritis (see "Patient information: Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and diagnosis (Beyond the Basics)")
Pauciarticular juvenile chronic arthritis
Polyarteritis nodosum
Patients with organ-specific autoimmune diseases may also have a positive test for ANA. These diseases include:
Thyroid diseases (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Grave’s disease)
Gastrointestinal diseases (autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease)
Pulmonary diseases (Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis)
Patients with infectious diseases may also test positive for ANA. These diseases include:
Viral infections (Hepatitis C, Parvovirus)
Bacterial infections (Tuberculosis)
Parasitic infections (Schistosomiasis)
Other associations with positive ANA tests have been noted, including:
Various forms of cancer (rarely)
As a harbinger of the future development of autoimmune disease
Various medications, without causing an autoimmune disease
Having one or more relatives with an autoimmune disease
Some individuals, even those without a relative with autoimmune disease, may have a positive test for ANA and yet never develop any autoimmune disease.
TYPES OF ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES
If a patient has a positive test for ANA, his or her healthcare provider, depending on the patient’s symptoms or findings on physical examination, may order additional tests to identify specific types of autoantibodies. Some examples are provided below:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) — If a diagnosis of SLE is suspected, then additional tests, looking for autoantibodies directed against double-stranded DNA, Sm antigens, and ribosomal P antigens may be ordered. Because these antibodies are relatively specific for SLE, the results may provide important clues to facilitate the diagnosis of SLE. (See "Patient information: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (Beyond the Basics)".)
Sjögren’s syndrome — If a diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome is suspected, the healthcare provider may test for autoantibodies directed against antigens known as Ro/SSA and La/SSB. The presence of these autoantibodies provides support for the diagnosis of Sjögren’s syndrome, a disorder which involves autoimmune destruction of the glands that produce tears and saliva.
Drug-induced SLE — If a diagnosis of drug-induced SLE is suspected, then a test for antihistone antibodies may be ordered. Antihistone antibodies are nearly always present in patients with drug-induced SLE. If antihistone antibodies are not detected, then the likelihood of this diagnosis (drug-induced SLE) is greatly reduced."
http://www.uptodate.com/contents/antinuclear-antibodies-ana-beyond-the-basics
It appears that Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) can be associated with drug treatments and can be temporary. I found a very good explanation of this condition and possible causes.
www.rheumatology.org/Practice/...And.../Antinuclear_Antibodies_(ANA)/
American College of Rheumatology
www.rheumatology.org/Practice/...And.../Antinuclear_Antibodies_(ANA)/
American College of Rheumatology
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