Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
434278 tn?1324706225

X-high ANA

About six years ago, I began having an assortment of debilitating symptoms. (malar rash, raynaud's, arthritis, sunsensitivity, mouth sores, pos. ANA)  A series of elevated ANAs led us down the road to consider a possible lupus diagnosis.  Initially the ANA was anywhere from 1:160 to 1:2560 homogeneous pattern.  Each time everything else was neg.  Because steroid treatment brought relief, plaquinel was started July '08.  Since then, symptoms have been better, with occasional flares treated with steroids.  Everytime they test the ANA in these 5 years of being on plaquinel, it has been negative.  

My question is: Could this be a possible lupus diagnosis, or should we pursue something else?  Symptoms have resurfaced lately and it appears we are back at the drawing board trying to figure out what is going on.  What else could've caused the ANA reading to be this high?  Note: the highest reading was after I intentially spent time in the sun prior to my level being checked.  

Thanks again for your time.
Best Answer
1530171 tn?1448129593
Hey Kara , thank your lucky stars!

Your immune system has probably kept the underlying infectious condition

that caused your high ANAs, in check. As long as your symptoms are

manageable, you can go out and play baseball or whatever else you can do

to enjoy  life!

I would say, for know, consider pursuing TOTAL balance (body, spirit and mind)
and layoff the pursuit of looking for the appropriate medical label,

specially in light that there's no known effective treatment

-other than symptom management-

in most of these suspected conditions.

Blessings!
Niko
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
434278 tn?1324706225
Thank you!!!  That is quite a list.  I didn't know all that.

The question is, the elevated ANAs were all 5 and 6 years ago.  It's been neg for the past 5 years along w/ anti Sm, anti dsDNA, sed, ect.  Everything has been neg for the past 5 years.  

Do we totally disregard all the elevated ANAs that were ran in '07 and '08????  

If I weren't still having tons of symptoms, I'd say forget about it all and lets get back to playing baseball.  
Helpful - 0
351246 tn?1379682132
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi!
Generally a high ANA titre indicates an autoimmune disease (SLE, Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, scleroderma, polymyositis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, dermatomyositis, primary biliary cirrhosis, Addison disease, Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and type 1 diabetes mellitus). Mixed connective tissue disorders also cause a high ANA. The staining pattern is important.
Homogenous ANA staining pattern is very specific of lupus. If the ANA staining pattern is homogenous, then other tests which need to be done are Smith Antibody (Anti-Smith), Anti-dsDNA, and Anti-ssDNA. Other than that, yes, symptom wise, it does sound like lupus. Hope this helps. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Autoimmune Disorders Community

Top Autoimmune Diseases Answerers
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.