What is an ana or anca blood test?

Antinuclear Antibody: ANA stands for antinuclear antibody test which is used to detect autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. There are inflammatory cells that can turn against itself.

Tests: An ANA is an anti nuclear antibody test. It is often the fist step in trying to diagnose lupus or a vasculitis. An anca is an anti nuclear cytoplasmic antibody test. There are two types p-anca and c-anca both used to diagnose vasculitic conditions (poly-arteritis nodosa and wegener's granulomatosis, respectively). They are often ordered and part of larger panels to work up rule out conditions.