Re: Can you have an autoimmune disease with a negative ANA?
I have rheumatoid arthritis and have a negative ANA and a negative rheumatoid factor...in fact I'm said to have "sero-negative RA". The only blood factors that have risen are the inflammatory factors...ESR, CRP in combination with low HCT and HB and elevated WBC.
Yes, you can have an autoimmune disorder without having a positive ANA....that is only one factor of many. Most auto-immune disorders have a certain pattern that tells them what is going on. With RA, the RA factor is one of 6 diagnostic criteria for the disorder, and you only need 4 of the criteria for diagnosis.
Re: Can you have an autoimmune disease with a negative ANA?
Jenny - I've been told (in the past) that I too have serum-negative RA. But my new rhuemy says that I have scleraderma and positive anti-bodies for Lupus, but I have no physical symptoms of lupus. This whole thing gets very, very frustrating trying to figure out what is really causing so many of my problems. May I ask what does the doctor give you for your RA? I don't mean pain meds, but meds that change the course of the disease. Thanks!
