ANTIBODIES-ANTINUCLEAR ANTIBODIES

SUMMARY

1. Autoimmune antibodies that attack components of the nucleus, found in many autoimmune disorders.

2. Titers show the dilution at which the antibodies become undetectable. It is shown in doublings: 1:40, 1:640, etc. So, the higher the titer, the more antibodies in the serum; positive if > 1:80.

3. While ANA patterns may provide some information, they do not identify the specific antibody present, nor are they specific for any particular disease.

4. Positive in drug-induced lupus, SLE, mixed CT diseases, diffuse systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, RA.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].