jhmom ... you're probably thinking about ANA not the Anti dsDNA. The ds-DNA antibody, which was first described in the 1950s, reacts with double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). While antibodies to single stranded (ss) DNA are seen in many rheumatic and non-rheumatic conditions, antibodies to ds DNA are considered diagnostic for SLE. Rising and high titers of ds DNA antibodies suggest an increased risk of progressive disease.
According to LabOne which is one of the labs that does the Anti dsDNA tests as well as the the rest of the subset of Lupus and other autoimmune tests say:
Table 1.—Autoantibodies in the Rheumatic Diseases
2-5
Autoantibody Disease Associations Condition Frequency you'll see a positive with someone with Lupus.
dsDNA (double-stranded DNA) Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 40% – 60%
With the exception of dsDNA, ANA titers and specific autoantibody levels have not been linked to disease severity; however, double-stranded DNA has been shown to correlate with clinically relevant disease activity,
15 and results generated with this new technology are standardized to the World Health Organization’s dsDNA standard, wo/80.
Hycor whose products are used in Lupus testing as well as other types of testing says: Anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA antibodies are found along with a wide variety of antibodies recognising other nuclear components in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). SLE is a disease of unknown aetiology, being characterised by widespread organ involvement including renal, CNS and skin as well as joint disease. Anti-dsDNA antibodies have been suggested to be directly involved in the disease process, being included in the ARA criteria for the diagnosis of the disease. This involvement is thought to be due to either dsDNA-anti-dsDNA complexes which have been detected in some patients or to the cross-reaction of anti-dsDNA antibodies with other molecules such as the phospholipids or glycosaminoglycans of connective tissues and cell surfaces. In SLE patients, levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies can be used in the monitoring of disease activity, since rapid increases have been reported to precede exacerbation of the disease and falls in antibody levels often accompany drug therapy. Anti-dsDNA antibodies are not detected in the sera of patients with drug induced lupus.
LOL trust me ... I've done my homework.
Hugs!