How can an ANA come back positive one time and negative the next?
The doctor said I do not have lupus because of this. In general the diagnosis of lupus is based off of a combination of physical symptoms and laboratory results. It is usually a diagnosis that evolves over time either towards more certainty or to the conclusion that the person does not have lupus. People can have bouts of autoimmunity with in elevated ANA result that are brief (sometimes associated with a viral infection) and then after it goes away and does not come back for a while it is reasonable to conclude that the person is unlikely to have systemic lupus. Some things to know about diagnosing lupus: • First and foremost, lupus cannot be diagnosed solely on lab work. • Secondly, positive lab tests for lupus can come and go over time and that is quite common. When they come and go it is less likely that the person will end up with a diagnosis of systemic lupus although that is still possible. • Thirdly, it is very common to get somewhat different results at different labs. However
