Record 011 · Laboratory · n.d.
ANA (Antinuclear Antibody) Test: MedlinePlus Medical Test
MedlinePlus / U.S. National Library of Medicine · requested inclusion
“NIH/NLM MedlinePlus consumer lab-test page describing what an ANA test is, why it is ordered, and that results alone cannot diagnose a specific disease. Emphasizes healthy people and older adults may test positive.”
NIH/NLM MedlinePlus consumer lab-test page describing what an ANA test is, why it is ordered, and that results alone cannot diagnose a specific disease. Emphasizes healthy people and older adults may test positive. Candidate notes: ANA test alone cannot diagnose a specific disease; providers combine it with other tests and clinical information. Negative result means ANA not found and autoimmune disorder is less likely, but does not completely rule it out. Positive result may relate to SLE, other autoimmune disease, viral infection (often transient), or other conditions such as cancer. Some healthy people have ANA; levels tend to increase with age, especially women over 65. Certain medicines can cause antinuclear antibodies; if positive, providers often order more tests. Limits noted in the record: Consumer-level overview; less detail on titers, patterns, and assay methods. A positive ANA is not a diagnosis. Claims in this record are not verified.
A positive ANA is not a diagnosis. Claims in this record are not verified.
source
- clinical_utility
- false_positives
- follow_up_tests
- interpretation
- negative_result
- positive-ana
- positive_result
- testing
Laboratory
