What are antinuclear antibodies tested for?

Antinuclear antibody tests are generally used for the diagnosis of immunologic diseases, such as connective tissue disease, and should be considered more so when there is a high titer of positive antinuclear antibodies. If high titers of antinuclear antibodies are found to be positive during the examination, active examination and treatment should be performed, but a complete antinuclear antibody profile should be performed to clarify the specific disease. For example, finding positive anti-Sm antibodies and anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies in the antinuclear antibody profile generally indicates systemic lupus erythematosus disease. If anti-SSA antibodies or anti-SSB antibodies are positive, it may indicate dry syndrome, and the diagnosis can be clarified based on the patient’s symptoms and relevant auxiliary examinations. In addition, liver function, kidney function and related imaging tests should be performed to determine if there is any internal organ involvement.