What is ANA Blood Test related To?

ANA blood test is performed in order to check the existence of anti bodies in the blood serum. ANA is the abbreviation for Anti nuclear antibody and there are two types of blood tests (ANA). The first ANA test is known as indirect immune fluorescence and the other one is called ELISA (enzyme-linked immunoabsorbant assay). Before you try to understand the test, it is important to understand anti bodies.

ANA blood test

Antibodies are nothing but proteins that are generated by WBC in the human body. These anti bodies help you to stay away from a number of infections and diseases. These anti bodies fight viruses and bacteria and therefore it is important that for a person to have enough antibodies in order to battle unwanted and disease causing micro-organisms.

Antinuclear Antibodies

However auto antibodies attack their own cell growth instead of fighting the viruses. Anti nuclear antibodies are forms of auto antibodies and are known for their ability to attack the cells in the nucleus. These auto antibodies are present in low concentrations in most people but in about 5 % of the people these auto anti bodies are found in large numbers which can lead to the presence of invisible diseases.

ANA blood tests help the doctors to understand if a person has an autoimmune system. If a person’s body is rich in auto anti bodies he is said to have an auto immune system. An auto immune system is the kind of immune system that is not very effective against diseases and various micro organisms. The presence of ANA in large quantities can lead to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, Hashimoto’s, mixed connective tissue disorder and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Get ANA blood Test Done

If a person has got an ANA blood test done on him, the doctors would be in a position to understand his medical condition better if he is going through one of the above mentioned diseases.

ANA blood tests are simple to perform. If you’ve done the titration process in high school, you can carry out these tests as well. The presence or absence of fluorescence gives an idea about the levels of auto antibodies in the blood. It is always good to understand the reason for certain so called invisible diseases that you might be suffering from and therefore it is highly recommended that you go to a clinic or a hospital and go through an ANA blood test.

What is positive ANA blood test?

A positive ANA blood test does not mean that you are suffering from Lupus. A lot of people hit the panic button when they test positive for ANA blood tests. Note that your immune system is constantly working and the WBC might produce some auto antibodies that can make your immune system autoimmune. This may or may not be harmful! A large number of people who are tested positive for ANA are as healthy as those without ANA. 20% of the world’s total population has ANAs in high numbers but not everyone suffers from an invisible disease. It should also be noted that an ANA test can come out positive if you are suffering from a liver infection or a thyroid disease.

Positive ANA blood Test

The normal titer of ANA in the human body should be 1:40 or lower.  A positive drug test would mean that this ratio does not stand true and you might be suffering from a certain disease. The diseases that most people with high ANA titers suffer from are Addison disease, polymyositis, Hashimoto’s, Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purprua.

Is a Positive ANA blood Test Really Positive

There are plenty of cases where a person has been tested positive of ANA on Monday and then again negative on Tuesday. Positive ANA blood testing cannot be a taken as a confirmation that you have an autoimmune system related disease. ANA lab tests can read positive if you are on drugs as well or if you work in a place where the air contains plenty of toxins and chemicals. If you have been tested positive for ANA it is recommended that you take the test a couple of more times. This would confirm the high presence of ANA in your blood and you can then look for remedies.

In case of Positive ANA Test

Doctors often say that a Positive ANA blood test is nothing to worry about unless you are also diagnosed with any connective tissues diseases like lupus. However the chances of being tested positive in an ANA test and having lupus are on the lower side of the scale. You should first go in for anti dsDNA tests and anti ENA tests before you set out got ANA testing.

The immune system is a complex organ and it keeps on fighting external infections and diseases all the time and there are times when it might not be at its best and the immunological tolerance might rupture. This is why doctors say that Positive ANA blood tests do not confirm that a person has a disease.