Since 1995 - Non Profit Healthcare Advice

Elisa ANA screen

02/21/2005

Question:

How do the values compare between an Elisa ANA screen (mine was positive at 2.24 Index with negative being <.9, and positive being >1.09) and an ANA screen done that is reported in a titer (mine was 1:1280 speckled at it`s highest)? I went for a second opinion and the ANA values are reported differently so I don`t really know how they compare other than they are both positive. I go back for follow-up in another 6 weeks. Thanks for you help!

Answer:

ANA tests can be very confusing for patients and physicians. Trying to compare levels of antinuclear antibodies done with different methods is very difficult. The ELISA is usually used as a screen and if positive then we usually do the fluorescent test to obtain a titer. Your doctor has probably obtained other tests at this point to see if he/she can pinpoint the type of antinuclear antibodies that you are making which will be more helpful in deciding if the ANA test is a sign of a specific condition. Sorry I can’t be more specific but these tests can vary a lot from lab to lab. Best of luck.

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