Help

[farms4weddings]

I can't think of the name of the test right now...nuclear? Mine has been positive 3 years in a row. I am getting worse. Can hardly turn over to cut the alarm off. Doc today said I need to see RA doc...said he did not think I had Lupus. Is it a sign I have RA if nuclear test is positive? Thank you very much for your help

[ruth_p]

I just looked on lab tests online and it says a positive ANA result canbe a sign of RA and other autoimmune diseases. It also says if you lupus then you will have a positive ANA result. It also says arthritis symptoms are also part of lupus. But the RA doc will do othet tests to check if you have it or not. And if you're struggling to turn off your alarm then getting a correct diagnosis and treatment will be the best thing for you. I hope this was helpful.

[helixhelix]

Might you mean the nuclear antigen antibody (ENA) or the anti-nuclear antibody tests (ANA)? These aren't 100% specific for one single disease but depending on the results indicate that you have one of a range of auto-immune diseases like lupus, Sjorgens or Scleroderma.

But there are other tests for RA so sounds less likely that your doctor was thinking of that. Rheumatologists cover a huge range of connective tissue disorders, from myosotis to fibromyalgia. And they usually diagnose based on a mix of blood tests, physical exam and how you describe your symptoms.

Hope you get an appointment soon so you can move forward to getting some treatment.

[Barrister]

I am positive for ANA but don't have RA. I have spondyloarthropathy/PsA. As helixhelix says, just because you are going to see a rheumatologist, doesn't mean it's RA, it could be some other inflammatory disorder. Hope you get sorted soon. Clemmie

[Hidden]

We do hope they find your answers soon. It hard enough when you know what is wrong with you, but when you don't know it's even worse...

[nomoreheels]

Not necessarily but once you've had more tests & the Rheumatologist has examined you then things will be more clear. The test I think you're referring to is the ANA - Anti-Nuclear Antibody test. Having a positive result doesn't mean you have a disease, many people test positive & more often women aged 65 older. The ANA test is a non-specific test, done alone it can't confirm a condition but it can rule out some.

It does sound as though something inflammatory is going on. Did you have the problems you're experiencing now when the other tests were taken? It just seems od that it's only now your GP is referring you to Rheumatology, particularly if he's aware of the window of opportunity in diagnosing & starting treatment.

Do keep us updated if you are diagnosed with RD (RA). Do be aware that treatments may from ours here in the UK.

[Hidden]

I had a hard time posting this link, so I just copied it for you. it explains the ANA test in simple terms.

The Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) test is a test to see if there are antibodies in the blood that are attacking a protein in the nucleus. The test is a simple screening test. It doesn’t tell you what protein the antibody is attacking it just tells you that there are antibodies against something in the nucleus.

Think of the ANA test as a fish finder that fishermen use. The ANA is really like a fish finder but instead of looking for fish we’re looking for anti-nuclear antibodies. If you use a fish finder you can see down below the water and determine if there are fish down there. You can also get an estimate of just how many fish there are. Now, you don’t know what type of fish they are or what they are doing. They could be benign dumb cod fish just swimming around not bothering anyone or they could be a school of pirrhanas ready to attack. The same is true when we do the ANA test – we can see that there are antibodies but we don’t know what they are directed at or what they are doing. If you think of it this way you get a really good sense of the limitations of the ANA test. The ANA test is really a test of “autoimmunity”.