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Posted 7/15/2008 6:24 AM (GMT 0)
I'm wondering if anyone can  tell me how long it generally takes ANA results to come back. I meant to ask the doc when he ordered the test but as usual I blanked out and only thought of it after I was out of the appt. Also I'm curious as to whether or not anyone on the board with a definite MS dx had positive ANA results.
Posted 7/15/2008 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Stacie,

I can't remember if I ever had this test.  It was not part of my obvious diagnostic process.  I know I had blood work done but it was to check for infection.  I had the MRI, lumbar puncture, evoked potentials and the general reflex and neuro exam. 

I have alway thought of ANA as a test for lupus.  I am guessing on that one though.  Here is a link.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ana/test.html

Posted 7/16/2008 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Stacie . . . I'm not from the MS forum, but saw the ANA question. ANA results can take a couple weeks to come back. They always seems to lag behind the rest of the blood-work. If ANA is positive, there is a staining "pattern". +ANA is not an absolute dx, but can help in determining a dx in certain diseases, when combined with other symptoms and lab work. Some people with +ANA are very healthy with no health issues. Here is a quote from another post with more info too: Lynnwood said... More specific info on what your ANA test might mean: The homogeneous (smooth) pattern is found in a variety of connective tissue diseases as well as in patients taking particular drugs such as certain anti-arrhythmics, anti-convulsants or anti-hypertensives. This pattern is also the pattern that is most commonly seen in healthy individuals who have positive ANA tests. The speckled pattern is found in SLE and other connective tissue diseases, while the peripheral (or rim) pattern is found almost exclusively in SLE. The nucleolar pattern is found primarily in patients who have scleroderma. I hope this helps. Blessings!
Posted 7/16/2008 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I had the ANA test and just looked at it. It looks like mine took 4 days to report. I have not been dx but just thought you might want the info.
Posted 7/16/2008 11:34 PM (GMT 0)
The ANA test "can" be done more quickly . . . but usually is not.

If it isn't negative, it requires repeated dilutions until they finally get a negative reading. That's how they get a higher and high titer reading. Its not one of those test that is simply scanned.

Here is a link with lots of info about how they do this test:

http://arthritis.about.com/od/diagnostic/a/ana.htm

Sorry, you'll need to copy and paste into your browser. The link wouldn't activate correctly.

I hope this helps.

Blessings!

Post Edited (AlwaysRosie) : 7/16/2008 7:13:09 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/16/2008 11:41 PM (GMT 0)

Hey AlwaysRosie,

I activated your link and somehow that deleted your signature!!!  Gosh!! Sorry about that. Also, the link is not going anywhere.  Can you try again??  Thanks.  I clearly didn't help at all here lol.

Posted 7/17/2008 1:06 AM (GMT 0)
Sweet of you Gretchen!! Thanks. No problem with the signature. For some reason I can't get it to work either. So I added a sentence letting members know they'll need to copy and paste it into their browser. It works that way. Thanks for your help. Blessings!
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