| Re: ANA blood tes
Karen, hi. ANA is only a "general" test. It's often (not always) positive in various rheumatological conditions: lupus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polymyositis, dermatomyositis, Raynaud's phenomenon, vasculitis, scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), and undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD).
It can be positive in these skin diseases: psoriasis, pemphigus, and vitiligo.
There are many other conditions that can cause a positive ANA, in endocrinology, neurology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, nephrology, and hematology. Some positives are drug-induced. And some positives are due only to age and family tendency, with no disease present.
I'm just a patient, but based on the above, if your ANA comes back positive, *maybe* a dr. would attribute that to your known psoriasis. Do you have other signs & symptoms beyond skin Like joint pain, fatigue, depressed WBC, anemia, elevated sed rate, hair loss, weight loss, protein in urine, etc.? With those, drs. typically run more specific tests for lupus and its close cousins.
Another thought. Isn't sun supposed to HELP psoriasis? Since sun seems to make your skin worse, has a dermatologist ever done a skin biopsy to see whether it might be something other than psoriasis? There's one lupus rash, called SCLE psoriasiform, that looks a lot like psoriasis to the eye... but isn't.
There's also a condition called psoriatic arthritis. I think it "favors" hands, feet, and ankles.
Sorry this is a late response... maybe you have gotten some word back? I hope you post again & update us. Meanwhile, all best wishes, Vee
| 
