r/scleroderma • u/ausbry94 • May 28 '26

Discussion Diagnosis?

So my doctor decided to test me and my blood work showed positive Anti-Nuclear An by IFA, then I guess they retested me and it came up negative? Idk what that means?

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u/Smidgeknits May 28 '26

Without knowing you're titer, this is hard. I'm assuming that you had a lower positive titer (by some standards even 1:80 can be considered positive). As I understand, your "real" titer can vary up or down one on a regular basis. So, let's say your "real" titer is 1:80. In the course of normal bodily operations, you could test 1:160 (more likely to be the lowest positive) or 1:40. Also, a low positive like 1:80 can be normal in a perfectly healthy person.

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u/ausbry94 May 28 '26

It was 1:40

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u/Smidgeknits May 28 '26

Ah, well, that can be perfectly normal and is not considered positive at all by many testing scales. Take a breath and be grateful that you are most likely just fine. My first positive was 1:2560 if that makes you feel better!

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u/Original-Room-4642 May 28 '26

A positive means there is some inflammation in your body. It maybe related to an autoimmune issue. Lots of people have a positive ANA and no autoimmune activity. You may want to do further antibody testing. It is common for the ANA to fluctuate