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Help with ANA screen interpretation

Maria1

Silence speaks volumes
Messages
139
Location
UK
My GP ordered ANA screen and rheumatoid factor as my joint symptoms have worsened and she wasn't sure if I'd ever been tested since ME /CFS diagnosis. The screen came back negative.

The results are all marked as normal. However, I do know lab reference ranges sometimes need digging under a little (I have auto immune thyroiditis but it wasn't picked up until one GP noticed I'd been borderline hypo for years). At the same time, I don't want to go looking for problems where there are none.

Wondering if anybody knowledgeable can help me out?

The only ones that aren't marked as less than 0.2 are:-

DNA binding autoantibodies 1 iu/ml (range < 9.99)
Serum SSA 60 (RO) Ab conc 0.3 AI ( < 0.99)
Sm/RNP antibody 0.6 ( < 0.99)
Chromatin IgG Ab 0.2 (< 0.99)

Anti CPP is < 0.5 (< 2.99)

My Rheumatoid factor is reported as < 15 iu/ ml so normal against reference range < 20.

Many thanks
 

Kati

Patient in training
Messages
5,497
Hi @Maria1, your antibody screen seemingly came back as normal. It simpy means that you tested negative for these antibodies, but it does not mean that your pain and symptoms are not real.

Negative results are very problematic and frustrating for patients who suffer a great deal and cannot get any answers from medicine.

I hope that your physicians will keep on looking and that your symptoms are not being dismissed as unimportant.

Personally my ANA has always been high (titer of 1:1280). Joint pain has come and gone from year to year. And still I do not have answers. Healthy people can have high ANA.

I cross my fingers that scientists will figure out what it all means.

Sending best wishes.
 

Maria1

Silence speaks volumes
Messages
139
Location
UK
Thanks Kati. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

What I'm wondering, and didn't make clear in my post, is whether the ranges can mislead sometimes. I say this as I know how it works with thyroid, as in one can be 'subclinical' when just out of range or even just in range.

I'm quite happy if it's negative to leave it be. I don't want to keep digging if there's nowhere to go. I find pursuing doctors far too draining unless there's a good reason. But if there's a possibility if I leave it only to find a different GP say in a year 'oh yeah, that was a bit abnormal'.

My brain function is so bad I find it very hard to post on here, and even harder to make sense in a doctors office :confused:
 

Jonathan Edwards

"Gibberish"
Messages
5,256
Thanks Kati. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

What I'm wondering, and didn't make clear in my post, is whether the ranges can mislead sometimes. I say this as I know how it works with thyroid, as in one can be 'subclinical' when just out of range or even just in range.

I'm quite happy if it's negative to leave it be. I don't want to keep digging if there's nowhere to go. I find pursuing doctors far too draining unless there's a good reason. But if there's a possibility if I leave it only to find a different GP say in a year 'oh yeah, that was a bit abnormal'.

My brain function is so bad I find it very hard to post on here, and even harder to make sense in a doctors office :confused:

This is not like the thyroid situation. It is not a matter of precise balance of physiology. If autoantibody tests are below the reference cut off then they are not going to help diagnosis. They are normal. Things are more difficult if they are raised because that may or may not be significant.
 

Maria1

Silence speaks volumes
Messages
139
Location
UK
This is not like the thyroid situation. It is not a matter of precise balance of physiology. If autoantibody tests are below the reference cut off then they are not going to help diagnosis. They are normal. Things are more difficult if they are raised because that may or may not be significant.
Thank you- that's helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

I think it's something to cross off the exclusion list now. I'm also referred for X-rays but I'm guessing they won't show anything either.

Every now and again I think I have a possible new diagnosis, but I kept getting left with ME/CFS as the answer. I think I'm not alone in that :)

Thanks again