What does false positive diagnos on lupus mean?

Positve not lupus: If a blood test is positve, assuming quality lab parameters (this means the lab did it correctly); it is positive. There are certain tests that are + in people with lupus. Sometimes people who do not have lupus have + blood tests. Some refer to these clincial settings as false positive for lupus. To diagnose lupsus you need special scrutiny and sometimes this can be convoluted.

ANA positive: I see two to three patients per week that have a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) but do not have lupus. The ANA blood test is very sensitive meaning that if you have lupus, the blood test comes back positive. However, it is not specific meaning that if the ANA is positive, you may or may not have lupus as there are over thirty causes of a positive ana. Normal people can have a positive ana.