Antinuclear Antibody Testing in a Referral Laboratory

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing, consisting of the immunofluorescent ANA (FANA) and ANA profile, is an integral part of the evaluation of the patient who is suspected of having connective tissue disease. We reviewed the results of FANA and ANA profile testing from more than 8,000 serum samples to examine the relationships between these tests. Fifty-two percent of referred serum samples had a positive ANA test result and 19% of samples had a positive ANA profile. Nine percent of the serum samples had a positive ANA profile result despite a negative FANA test result. Although the routine FANA test is considered the “gold standard” for sensitive detection of connective tissue disease, screening with an FANA test may not detect diseases associated with anti-SSA/Ro, anti-double-stranded DNA, or anti-extractable nuclear antigen antibodies. Comparison of subgroups of specific antibodies support the validity of autoantibodies as markers for diseases or subgroups of connective tissue disease.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: