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ANA 1:1000 but no symptoms?
Hello, I am 26yrs old (male), so when I was 9 - 10yrs old I had alopecia areata and it resolved in 6 months, after that its been 15 - 16yrs and I don't have any issues nor it ever came back, just I have some patchy hair loss on legs and 2 small hair loss spot on hand, but since apart from that it never came back or caused more hair loss no treatment was done.
So, when covid came I lost weight on leaving outside food, left multiple times coffee, etc sudden changes caused gut issues (bloating, burping, indigestion, nothing serious) and then pandemic stress etc, so it caused me to lose like 16 - 18kgs weight in 2 yrs. (I was not overweight but became a bit underweight with BMI of 17 now, weight has been same since months coz I have 1 meal less coz of my routine, I am working on gaining it now)
Doctors did that time all tests like CBC, ESR, CRP, Rheumatoid Factor, Liver Function, Kidney Function, Urine Test, Stool Test, everything came normal and the gut issues went on for long coz body was taking time to adapt to the new things and stress took time to reduce, but then all things resolved and its perfectly fine.
So during this I just went and got ANA test + TTG IGA test done when gut issues were going on, TTG IGA came negative, but ANA was positive at 1:1000.
(6 months back I had scratched my back and got little infection too and even house had covid but I didn't face any symptoms of it, can this also cause ANA positive?)
So, after seeing ANA they did autoimmune profile test, which tests for antibodies of well known autoimmune diseases like SLE, RA, Sjogrens etc everything came back normal except just 1 antibody: Mi 2 came positive a bit, but I don't show any symptoms of it and doctors tell it would be false positive.
CBC, ESR, CRP, Hscrp, liver function, kidney function and everything was done all came back absolutely fine, ESR and CRP and Hscrp were barely anything in the very lowest range.
I have attached the autoimmune panel test.
So, I would like to what could have caused my ANA to be 1:1000 any ideas? 1 doctor told me it keeps changing, if other tests are normal and if there are no symptoms then should ignore ANA.
Only issue I have in body is from desk work my right side of neck is stiff and wrist pain a bit on that side, but that goes away on stretching and posture changes and that only came in after losing weight and being sedentary in covid period.
[Attached all the Reports, Reports are of April 2022, still I feel absolutely fine and no issues]
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Hi @james1995, welcome. You sound like you and your doctors are investigating your test results thoroughly and leaving no stone unturned. I also think you're asking all the right questions. However, your questions are best answered by medical professionals rather than on a patient forum like this one. A medical team familiar with your medical history, current status and with the proper training can interpret the results that you've attached with your message and work with you.
If you were hoping to consult with Mayo Clinic medical experts, the best place to start is by submitting an online request here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
You might also be interested in these related discussions:
- Positive ANA Questions: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/positive-ana-questions/
- What can cause ANA titre of 1:2560?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-can-cause-ana-titre-of-12560/
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1 ReactionHey @colleenyoung thanks for your reply, actually they didn't find anything and they have told if anything pops ever then only they can check as all other reports and coming normal and I am not feeling any common symptoms, but I would like to know how sensitive is ANA test? like if I get it done again it will again fluctuate isn't it? Have you seen people getting such ANA positive and having nothing in the end inspite of it being positive at high titre?
Hi @james1995 - I'm wondering if this might provide some answers for you on the ANA test.
-- Patient education: Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) (Beyond the Basics):
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/antinuclear-antibodies-ana-beyond-the-basics
-- A Basic Guide to ANA Testing:
https://www.aacc.org/cln/articles/2019/april/a-basic-guide-to-antinuclear-antibody-ana-testing
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2 ReactionsGot it, ok so as per that article it says:
Even when detected at high titer, a positive ANA result, by itself (in the absence of symptoms or physical findings), does not indicate that a patient either has, or will develop, an autoimmune disease. Some ANA appear to be unrelated to the development of autoimmune disorders. Future studies may help identify these "benign" autoantibodies and may permit health care providers to provide reassurance to their patients.
Means even at high titer as in my case I don't have any symptoms or physical findings and all organ functions are normal and everything is perfect just except ANA, I assume it could have come high maybe coz of 6 months back skin infection or coz of maybe covid pandemic, coz even covid has caused ANA positive in many patients, or it could also be from my past Alopecia Areata.
Have u personally seen here in this forum cases of people getting ANA positive even at high titer and not having any issues?
I haven't noticed a post but that might be a great question to post in one of the two discussion mentioned by @colleenyoung in her reply above.
I am not allowed to post links coz my account is new
Sorry if I was a little confusing. What I meant is you can make a post in other discussions that are related and ask your question. You will be able to post links to other websites after a short period of time. Here are the discussions Colleen mentioned that I think might be good for your to read through or reply to another members post with a question, or just post your question at the bottom of a discussion and all members following the discussion will see your question.
You might also be interested in these related discussions:
– Positive ANA Questions: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/positive-ana-questions/
– What can cause ANA titre of 1:2560?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-can-cause-ana-titre-of-12560/
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2 ReactionsHey @johnbishop got it, thanks, but as per the article link which you had shared of uptodate website, it had clearly written that ANA positive even at high titer without any symptoms or physical findings should be ignored, so I guess I should maybe ignore it as right now all tests have come normal I didn't get my ANA done again, as that's a very sensitive test, it would keep fluctuating, and I have seen people having autoimmune inspite of ANA being negative or low level positive, same for other antibodies, these tests without symptoms are just of not any such value I guess. My brother got positive TTG IGA for celiac and then biopsy showed all good and negative, same he has no symptoms, so I guess its common for these antibodies to show anything / false positives.
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