High ANA Titer & Vascular Disease

Collagen vascular diseases affect the structure of the connective tissues and bones of the human body. The ANA blood test, also known as the antinuclear antibody test, measures the amount of abnormal antibodies in the blood. These antibodies attack healthy tissues and cause them to become damaged. Someone with a collagen vascular disease may have an elevated ANA titer.

Collagen Vascular Diseases

• Several collagen vascular diseases can cause a high ANA titer. These diseases include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, dermatomyositis, polyarteritis nodosa and scleroderma. Collagen vascular diseases can cause joint inflammation, fever, weakness and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. NYU Langone Medical Center defines autoimmune hemolytic anemia as a condition in which the red blood cells are attacked by the immune system. This causes the red cells to break down and disintegrate. Fatigue is also a symptom of some collagen vascular diseases.

ANA Test

• The ANA blood test is used as a screening tool for autoimmune diseases. During the test, a blood sample is drawn from one of the veins. The sample is analyzed to determine the number of antinuclear antibodies present. ANA titer is the concentration of antinuclear antibodies, which can appear in several patterns. Outline patterns are associated with lupus erythematosus. The speckled pattern is associated with collagen vascular diseases like scleroderma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and polymyositis. Nucleolar patterns are linked to polymyositis and scleroderma. The diffuse pattern is most often associated with lupus and mixed connective tissue disease.

Testing Problems

• ANA titer is not an absolute indication that an autoimmune disease is present. People with negative ANA tests can have collagen vascular diseases. Those with an elevated ANA titer may not have collagen vascular diseases or other autoimmune disorders. Another problem with ANA testing is that a positive ANA can occur before someone develops any signs or symptoms of an autoimmune disorder. This means that the patient and physician must work together to determine the meaning of the positive result. As people age, false positive ANA tests become more common, which reduces the usefulness of this test when used in elderly people.

Complementary Testing

• The ANA blood test is used in combination with other laboratory tests and radiological studies to determine if an autoimmune disease is present. A thorough physical examination and medical history can help a doctor determine if a patient's symptoms could be caused by an autoimmune disorder. Blood tests can be performed to determine the concentrations of autoantibodies in the blood. Tissue damage caused by autoimmune disorders can also be detected by some blood tests. Imaging studies can detect changes in the organs, joints and bones. Tissue changes can also be detected with the use of a biopsy.

False Results

• False positive ANA results can be caused by several factors. The American Association of Clinical Chemistry reports that 3 to 5 percent of Caucasian people have a positive ANA result, even when a collagen vascular disease is not present. In men and women over the age of 65, this rises to 10 to 37 percent. Some drugs may also cause symptoms of lupus, which is known as drug-induced lupus. These drugs include procainamide, hydralazine, isoniazid and drugs used to prevent seizures. When these drugs are stopped, the lupus symptoms usually disappear.