HealthWise KnowledgeBase
Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA)
What To Think About
- Autoimmune diseases can't be diagnosed by the results of the ANA test alone. A complete medical history, physical examination, and the results of other tests are used with the ANA test to help identify autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis.
- Some healthy people can have an increased amount of ANA in their blood. For instance, this can happen in some people with a family history of Reference autoimmune disease Opens New Window. The higher the ANA level is, though, the more likely it is that the person has an autoimmune disease.
- ANA levels can increase as a person ages.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference June 4, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
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