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Results
By Mayo Clinic staffThe presence of any antinuclear antibodies is a positive test result. Having a positive result doesn't mean you have a disease. Many people with no disease have positive ANA tests. The finding is particularly common in women older than 65.
Certain infectious diseases, such as mononucleosis, have been associated with the development of antinuclear antibodies. Some medications, such as certain blood pressure lowering drugs and certain anti-seizure drugs, may trigger antinuclear antibody formation as well.
If your doctor suspects you have a connective tissue disease, he or she is likely to order a number of tests. The result of your ANA test is one piece of information your doctor can use to help determine the cause of your signs and symptoms.
- The antinuclear antibody test: What it means. Lupus Foundation. http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_empty.aspx?articleid=402&zoneid=76. Accessed Aug. 2, 2009.
- Kavanaugh R, et al. Guidelines for clinical use of the antinuclear antibody test and tests for specific autoantibodies to nuclear antigens. Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. http://www.cap.org/apps/docs/committees/immunology/arpa_124_10_71.pdf. Accessed Aug. 2, 2009.
- Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. In: Fischbach F. Manual of Laboratory & Diagnostic Tests. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004. http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com/spa/ovidweb.cgi. Accessed Aug. 2, 2009.
- Laboratory reference values. Normal values. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 2004. Accessed Aug. 3, 2009.
