Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) IFA in Dilution Test Cost & Procedure

The term "anti-nuclear antibody-IFA test" refers to an ANA test that uses the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) approach to find ANA in blood. Autoantibodies, or ANAs, assault the body's healthy cells and harm muscles, joints, and other body parts. Those who are at risk for or who have autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, scleroderma, or systemic lupus erythematosus are advised to get this test (SLE). A small amount of ANA is present in most people's blood, but excessive ANA levels may indicate an autoimmune disorder.

Why is ANA-IFA completed?

To assess whether an autoimmune illness like Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is present (SLE) to ascertain the presence of any other autoimmune connective tissue disorders (CTDs) outside SLE, such as polymyositis, scleroderma and Sjögren's syndrome.

The ANA-IFA Measurement: What is it?

Antinuclear antibody levels and distribution in the blood are measured by the Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Test. Differentiating between the body's cells and foreign cells, such as pathogens, is the immune system's job. The alien cells are then targeted and eliminated after being located. When an immune reaction is launched against cells that the body cannot identify as being its own, as is the case with autoimmune illnesses, those cells are destroyed. Some proteins found within or on the surface of cells serve as a mediator in the differentiation of "self" and "non-self" cells. The immune system creates antibodies against cells it recognises as alien or "non-self" to eliminate them.

Autoantibodies known as antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are made against specific protein markers found in the nuclei of some types of bodily cells. They are produced in various autoimmune disorders, but Systemic Lupus Erythematosus delivers them the most frequently (SLE). Some laboratories may combine the two tests: the IFA method then confirms the positive or ambiguous Immunoassay results.