One lab said i have an ana >1280 homogenous pattern and a completely different lab that said i had ana >320 speckled pattern. i am confused. can ana tigers change like this? are ana titers dependable? thank you?

The reports are based on the technology they used for the test but the only contradiction is one was speckled otherwise the titers are showing the limits of the tech they used. The importance of the titers is the same lab using the same technology to follow titer but the threshold exceeded already confirmed abnormality. Let your doctor use the information to make diagnosis and manage with you.

The different ANA titers (1:1280 vs. 1:320) are due to the fact that the ANA test is a very old and pretty useless test that is positive if any one or more of 150-160 antibodies are positive. We actually know and can identify a handful of specific antibodies that are helpful if strongly positive (DS-DNA Ab, RNP Ab, Smith Ab, SSA, SSB, anti-Scl-70). See a rheumatologist who can test & interpret.