What are antinuclear antibodies?
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) attack proteins in the core of regular cells. Antibodies are usually produced by an immune system focused on foreign attackers, such as bacteria for destruction, but sometimes the immune system makes mistakes and these antibodies attack normal body parts such as cellular cores. These antibodies are involved in a number of autoimmune diseases, but are also present in some people who are unfortunate. Antinuclear antibodies test is used in the diagnosis of certain diseases.
Antinuclear antibodies are a subset of the antibody group. Antibodies are proteins produced by white blood cells; Once they recognize - or think they will recognize - foreign material, signal the body to start the inflammation process to try to kill the attacker. Antinuclear antibodies mistakenly attack the proteins present in a part of the cell, which contains a genetic material called core.
These antibodies are involved in the extent of autoimmuneObviously an immune system that attacks their own body instead of foreign attackers. Antinuclear antibodies are found in people who have diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, autoimmune hepatitis, Addison's disease and some blood cell diseases. Although a healthy person can have a certain level of these antibodies in the blood without suffering any bad effects, a high level can help doctors diagnose these diseases.
Antinuclear antibody test includes the use of blood samples from the patient. The blood sample is diluted with physiological solution. In one such test called a fluorescent antinuclear antibody test (fan), the sample is mixed with fluorescent marks specific to antibodies.
The analyst looks at the sample under a fluorescent microscope to detect the presence or absence of marked antibodies in the sample. Blood formulas are diluted to reducey false positive results in healthy people with low levels Ana. In practice, dilution of 1:40, which provides a positive result, does not indicate autoimmune disease, but dilution 1: 160, which has anas present, indicates the disease.
The positive result of the Ana test is not used to diagnose the disease, as the high level of Ana can be caused by other reasons than autoimmune diseases. Some medicines such as phenytoin and procainamide increase Ana levels. Cancer can also increase the values of the Ana and even a viral infection can temporarily change Ana levels. Ana levels also grow with age.