Ana and ena tests?

[Victoria1234]

My thyroid blood work was also coupled with 2 tests I can't quite understand the google results.... anyone care to give it a go? Whatever it is, it sounds like I tested ok?

ANA negative

Ena test 

0.40 ENA Units

<0.70 ENA Units

[ironictruth]

1 hour ago, Victoria1234 said:

My thyroid blood work was also coupled with 2 tests I can't quite understand the google results.... anyone care to give it a go? Whatever it is, it sounds like I tested ok?

ANA negative

Ena test 

0.40 ENA Units

<0.70 ENA Units

ENA, from my extremely limited understanding, is another test looking for antibodies in autoimmune disorders like lupus or connective tissue disease. It appears it typically is not positive if ANA is negative. If positive, further tests can be run to determine if it may be related to lupus, sjogren's, or a connective tissue or arthritic condition. ANA is a similar test. So is speckle pattern. 

ANA has been found to show up positive in folks with celiac too. Just like those darn antibodies to gluten can show up positive in folks with autoimmune issues that are not celiac. 

Darn tests. Looks like yours are good. But we are not docs so check with yours. 

[Gemini]

ANA is a very general test for inflammation and can be elevated by other AI issues, including Celiac.  It is not specific to any one disease. If you have multiples, you can get it to come down if you address the inflammation but it may never go back to normal.

[Victoria1234]

Thank you!

years ago, my Ana was positive, but the rheum only looked for lupus. This is before dh 9-10 years ago.

[Gemini]

On 7/3/2017 at 7:28 AM, Victoria1234 said:

Thank you!

years ago, my Ana was positive, but the rheum only looked for lupus. This is before dh 9-10 years ago.

This is why I do not go to Rheumatologists. I did a lot of research myself into elevated ANA and what I read was not what you hear in a doctor's office. This test can be elevated from a number of different AI conditions but they focus on lupus because there's meds for that.    I have Celiac, Hashi's thyroid disease, Sjogren's Syndrome and Reynaud's and my ANA is always positive. Just to show what the gluten free diet can do......in 2007, I was gluten-free for 2 years. My ANA was 1:2560, speckled.  It's always comes back speckled. I was never tested for it before so God only knows what it was 2 years prior to going gluten-free.   

2010- 1:1280

2011- 1:1280

2013- 1:320

I can only attribute the marked decrease in ANA from the gluten-free diet because I was not on any anti-inflammatory meds, ever. Instead of scaring people into thinking they have lupus, ya might want to let them know that this can be elevated from other AI diseases that they have. Do your lupus testing but this is not an uncommon finding in anyone with AI disease.

 

[Victoria1234]

4 hours ago, Gemini said:

This is why I do not go to Rheumatologists. I did a lot of research myself into elevated ANA and what I read was not what you hear in a doctor's office. This test can be elevated from a number of different AI conditions but they focus on lupus because there's meds for that.    I have Celiac, Hashi's thyroid disease, Sjogren's Syndrome and Reynaud's and my ANA is always positive. Just to show what the gluten free diet can do......in 2007, I was gluten-free for 2 years. My ANA was 1:2560, speckled.  It's always comes back speckled. I was never tested for it before so God only knows what it was 2 years prior to going gluten-free.   

2010- 1:1280

2011- 1:1280

2013- 1:320

I can only attribute the marked decrease in ANA from the gluten-free diet because I was not on any anti-inflammatory meds, ever. Instead of scaring people into thinking they have lupus, ya might want to let them know that this can be elevated from other AI diseases that they have. Do your lupus testing but this is not an uncommon finding in anyone with AI disease.

 

Wow, that's fascinating. 

Maybe mine was elevated back a decade ago due to celiac? He really didn't seem to care at the time. Just as long as it wasn't lupus!

 

[Gemini]

1 hour ago, Victoria1234 said:

Wow, that's fascinating. 

Maybe mine was elevated back a decade ago due to celiac? He really didn't seem to care at the time. Just as long as it wasn't lupus!

 

They don't care, you're right.  I have a new PCP I may not go back to because we are just not hitting it off.  I asked her to repeat the ANA because I am curious to see if it has come down any more and she said it only mattered if you have lupus. Whatever.........

Celiac is such a systemic AI disease and can affect every organ system so it very may well have been elevated from that!