ANA and ds-DNA

[Schnulke]

Are there any among you who have high ANA values but low and/or negative ds-DNA results?

[TeganSara]

My ANA is 1:640 but I have a negative for ds-DNA. However I have not actually been diagnosed with lupus yet though things are increasingly pointed that way, my rhuemy says says my symptoms are not severe enough. I do have HAshimoto's thyroiditis, which is auto-immune, my previous rhuemy diagnosed me with Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease, but my current rhuemy dismisses that. I do have positive results for anti-cardiolipin antibodies which is the indicator for Hughes Syndrome but again my symptoms aren't conclusive enough to diagnose it yet.

Is there a reason you wanted to know?

[Schnulke]

Yes, because my ANA keeps climbing (now it´s 1:2560) yet my ds-DNA has never been positive. My doctor says that all my clinical symptoms strongly suggest Lupus, though escpecially the erythema. Now I wonder if I actually have it or not.#

[TeganSara]

Although ds-DNA is a strong indicator for lupus it's not somehting you have to have. If you asked a new question on here to all the others who are diagnosed, I bet not everyone has it. All these blood tests are just indicators, that's part of the reason why I'm not diagnosed, the symptoms have to be there and it's a big picture thing, you have enough evidence to be diagnosed. ds-DNA would be a clincher but not having it doens't mean anything because of all the other things you have. I wouldn't worry about having a wrong diagnosis, though you could always ask to be referred to a different rhuematologist if you are really concerned...

[natal1a]

Hello

I first started feeling ill earlier this year with exhaustion and joint and muscle pain. I also have a really attractive butterfly rash over my cheeks. The very first doctor I saw recognised the rash and said I needed to be tested for lupus. I have had a positive ANA twice but both times all the other tests have come back normal too. My GP said though that for me, because my ANA is 1:400, which isn't too high, that it could be in it's early stages which could be why the dna tests are coming back negative for me.

What other autoimmune diseases have you been tested for?

[TeganSara]

1:400 is still a fairly strong result. But there are people who don't have any positive blood tests who still get diagnosed with lupus because their symptoms are so severe and they are stereotypical lupus symptoms. Different tests do correlate with different immune diesases but they aren't conclusive which is one of the reasons it can be so hard to get a diagnosis. Every sufferer has such different symptoms that frankly the docs don't really know what they're doing. It's funny though, I have had plenty of mystery illnesses in the past that weren't like lupus that the doctors didn't know wat was wrong and they just got sick of me turning up with new problems all the time. Even now, my pains keep changing, for a long time my hips were the worst now my ankles are getting really bad. I get so annoyed that I have something so hard to diagnosed. Because if I had cancer or diabetes I would get proper treatment, my symptoms would be managed and people would understand and be sympathetic when you told them what's wrong with you! It just gets more confusing when you have good and bad days as well!

[TeganSara]

The other complication is that many people with lupus will also have another auto-immune disease. I have Hasimoto's thryoiditis which needs to be treated and I had a positive results for anti-cardiolipin antibodies but my symptoms aren't bad enough for me to be treated for it yet. You can still have lupus and something else as well

This is a decent list of autoimmune diesases and diesases they are associated with, I've seen better so I'll keep looking: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoa...

[Schnulke]

Thank you for your answers! Very insightful! I´ve been also tested for Reynaud´s, Sjoergen´s and so on. Earlier I had a spinal tab (very very painful!!!) and they testet me for Mulitiple Sclerosis which came out negative.

Also I have thyroid problems that started around the time of all my other symptoms. My thyorid is suddenly very small and I have to take Thyroxine but all say there is no Hashimoto´s involved because there are no anti-bodies in my blood and neither do I have a damaged thyroid-tissue.

Recently (well, just about a week ago) my doctor´s found a high concentration of "Calprotectine" in my intenstinal system. The normal value would be below 50, I have 1200+. The doc says it hints strongly towards an inflammation of my bowels, maybe Colitis or Morbus Crohn.

So, you see - seven years ago I still ran marathons and did mountain biking and now I am a wreck!

[mog_105]

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with mild lupus (just my skin) but then received a letter saying that I have positive ANA so I am being refered to Rhuematology. They got my lupus diagnosis from a biopsy and said that lupus is not showing in my blood. But now I have a letter about ANA?? I am really confused about what this all means? I have fibro myalgia which I have had for over 7 years but I have had not had a really bad episode (not being able to get out of bed or open the door) for years now. I am in constant pain though especially in my hips.

But as far as I can tell I have a positive ANA result but negative ds-DNA results and I have mild lupus (skin only), with a lovely rash across my face at the moment