when i had the flu, blood work came back having elevated anti-nuclear-antibody. Rhumotoid arth. has been ruled out. I have no symptoms of lupus. Body feels good now. I'm back to exercising almost everyday for about an hour.
my age is 47.
2007-02-08 05:39:09 · 1 answers · asked by myhouse 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
It would be very unlikely that a normal flu would elevate ANA.
However, there's a known cause of flu like symptoms with positive ANA and that would be a Lupus Like syndrome, frequently caused by drugs. If you've been taking drugs to treat high blood presure (hidralazine and several ACE inhibitors, beta blockers) or psychiatric medication such as chlorpromazine, or anti convulsivants such as phenytoin and carbamazepine, or you're being treated for TB with isoniazid or rifamipin, or you're using the diuretic hidrochlorotiazide or the anti cholesterol drugs simvastatin and lovastatin, that could be the cause of high ANA and even Lupus symptoms, all that remit when the drug is stopped. It would be wise to repeat the ANA determination in a few months, either to confirm they're not present anymore or to check for other markers of autoinmune disease. Good Luck
2007-02-08 06:56:46 · answer #1 · answered by ferfer1994 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people have transient elevations in ANA without any underlying disease. This happened to me once, but subsequent tests were normal. As the person above mentioned, ACE inhibitors, usually prescribed for hypertension can also cause an elevation, or even lead to drug-induced lupus, which clears up after the medication is stopped. I wouldn't worry about the ANA elevation if you are feeling well.
2007-02-12 02:18:34 · answer #2 · answered by 13th Floor 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋