Re: ANA lab lower in 8 weeks

[Guest guest]

My ANA has gone from 146 to 113 (with up to 99 as 'normal) in 8 weeks

on LDN & alpha lipoic acid. The ANA was done at two different labs. Is

it possible that I could have that much results in 2 months? Anyone

else have that effect? Does ANA vary that much anyway? --CC

[Guest guest]

My ANA increased from 1:1260 to a titre of 1:2520.. I have never heard

of anyone having a ANA titre in odd numbers like you have. Usually it

starts at a titre of 1:80 then 1:160 then 1:320 and so and so on

increasing with every dilution they do until they finally have a blood

sample free of antibodies. However many dilutions it takes is the

greater your ANA titre is..Anything below 1:320 is ususally considered

a false positive or low insignificant positive.

>

> My ANA has gone from 146 to 113 (with up to 99 as 'normal) in 8 weeks

> on LDN & alpha lipoic acid. The ANA was done at two different labs.

Is

> it possible that I could have that much results in 2 months? Anyone

> else have that effect? Does ANA vary that much anyway? --CC

>

[Guest guest]

This is one lab:

ANA Abs. Direct result 113 reference 0-99 U/mL U/mL

Another lab:

Antinuclear Antibodies Direct result 146 AU/mL 0-99

This is direct from the report page. Are we talking different lab

tests? This is the test for RA screening or lupus or sjogrens. --CC

>

> My ANA increased from 1:1260 to a titre of 1:2520.. I have never

heard

> of anyone having a ANA titre in odd numbers like you have.

[Guest guest]

Sorry for the off topic but this is what I am talking about an ANA is

can mean multiple things and they are generally always even numbers

sartingw with 1:80:

ANA stands for Antinuclear Antibody. This literally means 'substance

against the cell nucleus'. The nucleus is the 'headquarters' of the

living cell, therefore the ANA can damage or destroy cells & tissues.

95%-98% of patients with SLE will have a positive ANA test, but the

majority of people with a positive ANA test do not have SLE. A positive

ANA test can be found in many conditions, including Sjogren's Syndrome,

scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, & mixed connective tissue disease.

Many normal healthy people will also have a positive ANA test.

Therefore a positive ANA test, on it's own, does not mean that person

has lupus.

Because of this, the physician has to look very carefully at the titer

(number) & pattern of the ANA test. The titer shows in even numbers

how many times the technician had to mix fluid from the patient's blood

to get a sample free of ANAs. Thus a titer of 1:640 shows a greater

concentration of ANA than 1:320 or 1:160, since it took 640 dilutions

of the plasma before ANA was no longer detected. The apparent great

difference between various titers can be misleading. Since each

dilution involves doubling the amount of test fluid, it is not

surprising that titers increase rapidly. In fact, the difference

between titers of 1:160 & 1:320 is only a single dilution. And it

doesn't necessarily represent a major difference in disease activity.

ANA titers go up & down during the course of the disease, & may or may

not reflect disease activity. Therefore it is not always possible to

tell from the titer how severe a person's illness is.

A titer of 1:80 or lower is usually considered negative.

The pattern of the ANA is studied by microscope. The technician

examines a specially prepared slide that shows where antibodies attack

the nucleus. Certain antibodies attack certain areas of the nucleus,

producing four specific patterns.

The rim (peripheral) pattern is the most specific pattern for lupus,

while the homogeneous (diffuse) pattern is the most common pattern

seen. The remaining patterns are the speckled and nucleolar patterns.

In some cases the pattern helps the doctor decide which of the

autoimmune diseases is causing the problem and which treatment program

is appropriate.

Because a positive ANA test can be found in other diseases as well as

SLE, the physician will use a positive ANA test as only one factor in

determining whether or not a patient has lupus. A positive ANA test

does not mean that a person has lupus. The physician needs to find

other clinical features such as butterfly rashes, arthritis, pleurisy,

blood abnormalities, kidney disease, etc., in addition to a positive

ANA test before making a diagnosis of SLE.

The reliability of the ANA test depends upon the laboratory. Many

variables can interfere with the test & give false numbers. The

accuracy of the test can also vary, depending on many factors, such as

the strength of the fluorescent antibody, or even the quality of the

microscope used.

Once a patient is found to be ANA positive, the physician may want to

further investigate which antigen in the nucleus is responsible for the

positive ANA test. The knowledge of which antigen is responsible for

the positive ANA test can sometimes be helpful in determining which

disease is present. For instance, antibodies to DNA (the protein that

makes up the body's genetic code) are found primarily in SLE. Levels of

these antibodies in the blood can be useful to the physician in

following the course of lupus, especially in patients with kidney

disease. Anti-DNA levels, however, do not always perfectly match the

clinical course of lupus kidney disease. Antibodies to histones (DNA

packaging proteins) may be very helpful in determining whether a

patient has drug-induced lupus. These antibodies may be found in SLE as

well. Antibodies to Sm antigen are found almost exclusively in lupus, &

when present, help to clinch the diagnosis of SLE. Antibodies to RNP

(ribonucleoprotein) are found in a variety of connective tissue

diseases. When present in very high levels, they are indicative of

mixed connective tissue disease, a condition with features of SLE,

polymyositis, and scleroderma. Antibodies to SS-A are found in both

lupus and Sjogren's syndrome and are sometimes associated with babies

who are born with neonatal lupus.

> >

> > My ANA increased from 1:1260 to a titre of 1:2520.. I have never

> heard

> > of anyone having a ANA titre in odd numbers like you have.

>

[Guest guest]

There are two different ways of measuring ANA. Direct is one way,

where you get a number, i.e. 146. Or they could measure it as a ratio

which would be i.e. 1:1260. I'm not sure what the conversion rate is.

> >

> > My ANA increased from 1:1260 to a titre of 1:2520.. I have never

> heard

> > of anyone having a ANA titre in odd numbers like you have.

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks I guess the other way must not be in Canadian labs as I asked

my rheumy at the hospital about it this morning and he has never

heard of it that way..

> > >

> > > My ANA increased from 1:1260 to a titre of 1:2520.. I have

never

> > heard

> > > of anyone having a ANA titre in odd numbers like you have.

> >

>