Shawna from Drumheller asks: My Father has been diagnosed with Crest Syndrome. I have gone to my family physician because of this family history and have found through some basic testing that I am ANA+. They have tested for lupus but nothing come back. Is this something that I should have further investigated or should I not be concerned?
For everyone else, CREST syndrome is now more commonly referred to limited scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis. CREST stands for Calcinosis, Raynaud’s, Esophageal Dysmotility, Sclerodactyly and Telangiectasias, which are common but not complete manifestations of scleroderma.
An ANA test is a non-specific test on its own. Approximately 10% of the population is ANA+, and over 95% of them will never have an autoimmune disease. The most important thing to do, whether or not an individual is ANA positive, is to always monitor for manifestations of illness and to follow up with your physician at that time. For more on lupus, click here.
Posted: September 7, 2015
Tagged: ANA, lupus, scleroderma