Anti Nuclear Antibody / Factor (ANA / ANF), IFA (Hep-2) Reflex To ANA Profile

The body’s immune system is responsible for keeping it safe and protected in the face of all adverse infections and diseases. When a foreign substance like bacteria or virus invades your body, the immune system reacts to it by producing antibodies. These antibodies fight against the infection.

Sometimes, the immune system produces antinuclear antibodies (ANA), which proactively work against the body's tissues. It targets every cell's nucleus.

The healthcare provider will likely prescribe an ANA test to determine the level of antinuclear antibodies in the blood. It will offer an insight as to whether the immune system is attacking the body or not.

Moreover, it will also help detect or rule out specific suspected autoimmune diseases.

These autoimmune disorders may include the following:

• Lupus: It is an autoimmune disorder wherein the immune system attacks the body's organs and tissues. It leads to inflammation in different body parts such as skin, joints, blood cells, lungs, kidneys, heart and brain. One of its most distinctive symptoms is a facial rash.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is another autoimmune disorder which causes damage to the joints. It severely impacts the inner lining of your joints, leading to excessive swelling, inflammation and pain that might eventually cause joint deformity and bone erosion. 
• Scleroderma: Also known as systemic sclerosis, scleroderma is a collective group of rare illnesses which involve the tightening and hardening of the skin. It may also cause damage to your digestive tract, internal organs and blood vessels. Its symptoms range from skin-related signs to digestive, lung and heart problems.

ANA test may not necessarily confirm one specific diagnosis, but it can still rule out other diseases. If the test is positive, the doctor may further test your blood for particular antinuclear antibodies, indicating specific conditions.

The ANA test majorly checks for the following four elements:

• Antinuclear antibody: It checks for the presence of antinuclear antibodies. If your blood shows the presence of the same, it could indicate certain autoimmune conditions. 
• Fluorescence intensity: This element tests for the quantity or the intensity of the fluorescence or antinuclear antibody in the blood.
• Fluorescence pattern: This tests the antinuclear antibody fluorescence pattern in the blood. 
• Estimated titer: The ANA test result generally comes in either pattern, level or titer. An estimated titer of 1:40 is considered positive for antinuclear antibodies. If you test positive for autoimmune disease, this level will be higher.

Apollo 24|7 offers a quick and effortless ANA test with the test results produced within a week. Getting an ANA test will help:

• Ascertain if your symptoms are because of an autoimmune disorder or not
• Determine if you do suffer from an autoimmune disease, such as lupus, Sjogren's disease, scleroderma, Raynaud's phenomenon or mixed connective tissue disease
• Devise the further steps to help with effective treatment of the autoimmune disorders