What does a positive result on an ANA test mean?

ResearchTrusted Source indicates that people with a positive ANA test display unique traits within their immune systems, including increased inflammation, heightened antibody production, and the activation of specific immune-related genes.

While only a small subset of those with a positive ANA test receive a confirmed autoimmune disorder diagnosis, the likelihood of an autoimmune disease rises with higher ANA levels, especially when accompanied by specific symptoms and other lab findings.

In one 2016 studyTrusted Source, participants who didn’t have autoimmune conditions but who tested positive for ANA showed immune irregularities resembling those in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, they lacked certain crucial elevated markers typically linked to the progression of the disease.

These findings suggest that a positive ANA test may hint at differences in immune regulation, which could possibly affect the risk of other conditions, even in the absence of an autoimmune disease.