An antinuclear antibody test can help determine the existence of particular types of antibodies in the body.
Antibodies are essentially proteins that the immune system generates to fight bacteria, viruses, and other dangerous foreign bodies. They are made by the white blood cells (B cells). If an antibody finds proteins of a foreign infectious organism, it employs other cells to help keep the infection at bay. This process is called inflammation.
Sometimes, however, the immune system can misconstrue agents within the body as external attacks. It then produces specific antibodies known as “autoantibodies,” which invade the body’s cells and tissues, wreaking havoc on the joints, skin, and muscles.
Antibodies that aim for “normal” proteins contained in a cell’s nucleus are called antinuclear antibodies (ANA). The high amount of ANAs is characteristic of autoimmune diseases such as lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, scleroderma, polymyositis, Sjögren’s syndrome, mixed connective tissue disease, drug-induced lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune hepatitis.
FIND OUT MORE including Results of an ANA Test at Metropolis Pathology
VIDEO: 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Positive ANA by rheumatologist Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz
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