ANA Titer?

February 17, 2004

Can soneone please translate into plain ole English for me what an ANA Titer of

1:320, ANA Pattern: Speckled, ANA: Postive really mean? I have no clue what

Titer is considered 'high' or what! I have been diagnosed with RA. Thanks-

D.

February 17, 2004

Hi, . Here's one of the best, simple explanations on a positive

ANA result out there:

" My ANA Is Positive. . .What Does That Mean? "

S. Leisy

LFA Online Health Educator

A reprint from the Lupus Foundation of America Lupus News, Volume 18 ·

Number 1 · Winter 1997-98

http://206.161.82.9/education/articles/ana.html

This one is a more in-depth review:

From American Family Physicians, " Clinical Utility of Common Serum

Rheumatologic Tests " :

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020315/1073.html

Here are a couple of links that will give you information that's a

little more technical:

" Laboratory Testing in the Rheumatic Diseases: Antinuclear Antibodies "

from a University of Washington CME online course:

http://uwcme.org/site/courses/legacy/rheumlab/ana.php

" Laboratory Tests in Rheumatology " from the University of Iowa:

http://www.int-med.uiowa.edu/Divisions/Rheumatology/LabTests.html

It's thought that at least 30% of all RA patients are ANA positive (I've

seen some estimates given that are as high as 60%). The speckled pattern

is the most common; it's also nonspecific. There is no known correlation

between ANA titer and disease activity (so whether it's " high " or " low "

doesn't really matter too much; in addition, in your case, you didn't

say what the cutoff for normal is for your lab).

Bottom line: if you already have a solid RA diagnosis, you don't have to

worry about this particular positive ANA lab result.

I'll tell you where to go!