A member asked:

I know you get this a lot, but i had ana positive 1:80 speckled. i kind or know that these can be a false positive.what dose the flag a & range n mean?

6 doctors weighed in across 3 answers

Many: People get a low positive ana, means nothing unless high titer and other signs and symptoms, go see a qualified rheumatologist. Titers low mean nothing unless you have other criteria.

Answered 3/29/2014

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Dr. Joram Seggev answered

Specializes in Internal Medicine - Allergy & Immunology

May be insignificant: Flag and range mean values that may be significant and range means the normal range for a test. A speckled ANA of 1:80 only means that the antibody is detected. It is a low value and does not mean that there is a disease. A woman at your age may have such an ANA without any disease. Because you have arthralgia, see your doctor or a rheumatologist to ensure there is no other disease.

Answered 6/10/2014

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ANA titer matters.: ANA, or anti-nuclear antibody, is a a sensitive and specific test for systemic lupus erythematosus ONLY at high titer >1:320. Up to one in ten HEALTHY women can have a positive low-titer ANA, 1:40 or 1:80, which does NOT indicate lupus. Only a high-titer ANA can be used to diagnose lupus. To measure clinical activity in lupus, a different antibody called anti-double stranded DNA is measured.

Answered 11/30/2014

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