Positive ANA: What might be the cause?

Posted by FreedomWarrior @freedomwarrior, Apr 28, 2021

Hello,
I am reaching out to anyone who has had a positive ANA blood test result. I aced Rheumatology testing and I believe that Mercury toxicity is the cause. Does anyone have a similar case or know somebody who does..? TY..!

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suetex | @suetex | Jul 2 7:20pm

@Hope5000 I'm curious if you had a sed rate done and what it was. A dr. friend I had, said that ANA could respond to inflammation. But then we have to figure out where that comes from.....

Lara K | @larak | 6 days ago

In reply to @stauggroomer35 "@hope2005 first I’m sorry you’re going through all this. I went through the same. First I’m..." + (show)

@stauggroomer35

@hope2005 first I’m sorry you’re going through all this. I went through the same. First I’m going to apologize for this being so long. Although when I first told a rheumatologist over 10 years ago I had joint pain and swelling she just said well you’re a dog groomer you’re going to. I was around 30 and only been grooming 9 years at that point. I was very active, went to the gym, etc. She did test for Lyme that was negative but didn’t test me for too much more. Eventually went to a gastrointestinal doc which sent me for a barium. At first the person doing the test mentioned about scleroderma. When I went back the doctor said no.
Fast forward I was still having problem. Went to the doctor because I was having issues with what I thought was athletes foot. A year of that and finally went to the podiatrist that knew exactly what it was Raynauds. Finally an answer. I was having the tingling, numbness, color change but it wasn’t just from the cold the heat was making it activate. She got it under control with just topical which was great. Fast forward again to bring in my early 40’s I finally went to a rheumatologist at mayo. He ran tests and I did come back with my antibodies test positive with speckles. I ran all the other tests but everything else was negative. My Raynauds isn’t so bad I need to take medication but I can deal with the numbness, etc. He told me I had Raynaud’s phenomenon in which mine has something causing it but don’t know what yet. He said it can take years for the reason to pop up. I go to the cardiologist every year with nothing showing up. I did research to like you and thought scleroderma to. I even had a doctor at Mayo that did my nail fold test say I didn’t have it. Went back to my doctor and he said not everyone is textbook symptomatic. You can do research but don’t fall on just one thing and an ANA can come back false positive. It’s only after being tested more than once and getting positive after positive you for sure have autoimmune disease. Autoimmune can be anything from diabetes, thyroid, to Raynauds, lupus (sister has this), Mönckeberg's sclerosis (great grandmother had this), hypobilirubinemia (my other sister has this). My sister with lupus has multiple health issues but the one with bilirubin issues doesn’t and never was tested for ANA and doesn’t want to be but anything that your body fights itself is autoimmune disease.
The reason it took me so long was because I was so aggravated with doctors and didn’t push and didn’t change doctors or go to different ones. I still don’t know a cause and I’ll be 50 this year. Unfortunately some diagnoses take a long time to be diagnosed. Don’t give up and teach yourself, advocate for yourself and don’t be afraid of leaving one doctor to go to another. When doing research use medical journals, websites by doctors not webmd. I don’t know if my post helped or made it worse but hoping it helps knowing that you’re not alone. My prayers and thoughts are with you. 🙏

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@stauggroomer35 You are right. Doctors (and insurance companies!) are waiting to be slammed upside the head with an obvious diagnosis.

Since specialists won't talk to each other and often won't even look at labs other doctors ordered, it can take decades for both your symptoms and your labs to become undeniable to even the most brain dead/stubborn of physicians.

My sister has psoriasis arthritis mutilans. She gave up trying to get help until her feet got massively deformed. Then, rheumatologists couldn't deny she is sick and they finally prescribed biologics. Now, she'll have to have her feet broken apart and reconstructed.

Because, unfortunately, many doctors won't move before this point.

It's insane. But it's now healthcare in America.

stalbot | @stalbot | 4 days ago

I’m putting together a VA disability claim associated with toxic exposure and downstream immune/endocrine dysfunction. During my military service I was exposed via vapor intrusion to a lot of volatiles, including TCE, PCE, PCB, jet fuel, benzene and probably others; my last duty station is now a superfund site and considered one of the most contaminated sites in the US. After I separated from the military, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in 1986, had an ovary torse due to large cysts (1997), manifested chronic ‘idiopathic’ iron deficiency anemia at least by 1993 and likely before, manifested autoimmune chronic urticaria IIb in 1996, went into early menopause between 1996 and 1998 (masked due to birth control pills), then in 2018 my feet started getting numb, my calves atrophied and I became seriously heat intolerant around 2010. In 2025, Mayo found I had sensorimotor axonal distal peripheral neuropathy and autonomic sudomotor postganglionic NLD neuropathy. I’m thinking the environmental exposure triggered immune/endocrine dysregulation. I am a GSTT1 null homozygote and likely a GSTM1 null heterozygote, which means I would have had a hard time dealing with all those chemicals (GSTT1 and GSTM1, in the detox II pathway, are basically ‘genetic hazmat suits’ and mine is pretty skimpy).

As part of the VA disability claim activity, this past February (2026), I requested all my medical records from my PCPs clinic back to 1987. In those records, I found I had a positive anti-parietal cell antibody low positive titer in 1997 that was not communicated to me, nor was it further investigated. I then did a lot of tests via Ulta Labs/Quest (my own dime) and there it was: a positive APCA and as well intrinsic factor blocking antibodies, high gastrin, high homocysteine. A subsequent endoscopy verified widespread atrophic gastritis consistent with autoimmune gastritis (given the blood tests). Apparently, my stomach mucosa has been under autoimmune attack for decades. I contacted my Mayo neurologists, who then diagnosed pernicious anemia and send a fax to my PCP with that diagnosis and as well a recommendation to prescribe hydroxocobalamin injections. However, my PCP has been silent throughout this journey (other than agreeing finally I had iron deficiency anemia and ordering an infusion after I begged; I guess it takes charting decades of anemia to convince her). Despite my Mayo docs’ recommendation, she has not yet prescribed B12 injections, likely because my serum B12 levels are on the high normal side. However, serum B12 tests are not reliable in a patient with IFB antibodies; the lab test in those cases can result in faux-high B12 levels. So, because by PCP has not prescribed B12 injections and, surprisingly, my GI is also leaning into the ‘normal’ B12 levels as not warranting injections as well (he should know better!) I am now getting hydroxocobalamin injections at a wellness clinic run by nurses at between $25 and $30 a shot, waiting until I find a healthcare professional who will provide a prescription. I have no direction from any local doctor, so am doing the British protocol for AIG patients with neurological involvement, which is an injection every other day until ‘symptoms stop improving’ and of course since the symptoms are likely those of the peripheral neuropathy, and since axons repair (if they can) at about 1mm a day, it’s going to be a long time before symptoms do anything, much less stop improving. I am trying to get another PCP for direction, or an internist, or an immunologist, but since my primary insurance is Medicare, I’m having a hard time finding any of those doctors here in Alaska who will take new Medicare patients, no matter that I have secondary insurance. Next week I will have an appointment with a nurse at a clinic founded by a naturopath, and it will be interesting to see how that pans out.

The point of this diatribe is that there are some good PCPs out there. I just don’t happen to have one. I hope I get a good one. I hope you get a good one. I hope things change for those of us who have these complex health syndromes.

celia16 | @celia16 | 12 hours ago

I wasn’t really sure where to post this. I’ll try to be as succinct as possible so I’m not listing my complete symptom history, though I consider myself healthy and I work towards good nutrition and fitness.

Suffice to say that after neurologist (B12 deficiency treated) referred me to Rheumatologist who reviewed extensive blood work. Positive ANA, no specific diagnosis, but negative for RA. RA and Lupus run in my family. I have type 1 diabetes and intermittent psoriasis. severe dry eye, Salman’s nodules and have been asked by multiple ophthalmologists if I have Sjogrens? Never diagnosed, because I don’t have most of the symptoms. Also long term intermittent sore muscles muscle knots and joint pain, no swelling, no arthritis. Very painful at least every other day. Almost like bruises under the skin. A mystery. (Diagnosed in 2023 with post covid syndrome, but most symptoms predate covid. No fatigue or brain fog.

Fast forward to my dermatologist who treats my psoriasis, mystery skin intermittent itching, and hair loss that started after covid. She said let’s ASSUME this is some kind of an autoimmune disorder. I agreed and started on daily Hydroxychloroquine. I knew zero about this med. Well…..soon I stopped having the sore, painful muscles. My hip hasn’t hurt at all. I workout 5 days a week at the gym so I’m very aware of how pain free I’ve been. Is it a coincidence?

I still don’t know what was causing those symptoms. I think my health overall is improving. I have read the symptoms of Lupus, but I haven’t had those. I suppose I’ll discuss it with the rheumatologist again when I return in August. I’m emailing my dermatologist tomorrow with the update.

Have others ever heard of anything like this happening?