Antinuclear Antibody Screen

The ANA Screen, IFA, with Reflex to Titer and Pattern is a special test used by doctors to help figure out if someone might have an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases happen when the body’s defense system mistakenly attacks its own parts. This test looks for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), which are substances that can show up if someone has these kinds of diseases.

Doctors use a method called immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to find these ANAs. The test is done on cells known as HEp-2, and it’s a very good way to check for ANAs because it rarely misses them. The American College of Rheumatology, a big group of experts, says this is the best test to use.

There are many different autoimmune diseases, like systemic lupus erythematosus, which can affect any part of the body, systemic sclerosis, which makes the skin thick and hard, and rheumatoid arthritis, which causes pain and swelling in the joints. This ANA test is usually one of the first tests doctors do if they think someone might have an autoimmune disease.