ANA 1:80 titre positive?

[Michellear]

Could anyone advise me if an ANA of 1:80 titre is considered positive for Lupus?

[fabwheelie]

Hello, ANA on its own isn't enough for medical diagnosis of Lupus as they're very specific criteria that you have to fit. Also low levels of positive ANA such as titre 1:80 or less can occur in "normal healthy people" who don't have Lupus and who don't ever get Lupus.

Other things (usually other autoimmune diseases) can give a positive ANA, so even a positive ANA doesn't necessarily mean Lupus. However, most "normal healthy people do not have positive Anti Nuclear Antibodies, plus more than 90% of people with Lupus have strong positive ANA, so this blood test can be very useful in helping Drs make diagnosis, They often look at other immunology blood tests too, such as Double stranded DNA (dsDNA), which not everyone has positive but if it is positive it's highly suggestive of SLE

The charity Lupus UK have loads of great information, including a range of publications you can download.

This link on diagnosis is useful ... lupusuk.org.uk/getting-diag...