I have had a lot of people reach out to me on Instagram that tell me they have lupus too (I love connecting with everyone), but then I find out that they just happened to have a positive ANA and that was it. Their GP or other doctor tells them your ANA is positive, you have lupus. I cannot stress enough that this is NOT TRUE!!!
First, anywhere from 20-40% of the healthy population will have a positive ANA with nothing wrong with them. Second, this is not a diagnostic test, it is simply a suggestive test. A positive ANA test simply means that antinuclear antibodies were present. A positive ANA test could suggest an autoimmune disorder, but many further tests and medical evaluation are necessary to get any type of diagnosis.
Factors that can influence a positive ANA other than an autoimmune disorder include age, certain medications, and other medical conditions. Additionally, you can have a positive ANA with other autoimmune diseases that are not lupus.
the autoimmune professor 
Leave a comment